The Alward government is turning aside calls for a moratorium on shale gas exploration.
The opposition Liberals have been pushing for the moratorium and full scale public consultations -- but -- during debate in the Legislature - Environment Minister Bruce Fitch says the government is moving slowly on the issue.
Fitch says work is underway on drafting regulations for the industry and a phased in Environmental Impact Assessment will require public consultations.
Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup says there will be seismic testing over the next two to three years with the possibility some exploratory wells will be drilled during that process to determine to find out if the natural gas exists in the rock beds.
