If nothing changes in the way the government manages the shale gas issue, Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois fears the emerging energy source will be killed before it ever gets started.

Marois told the Canadian Press in an interview that she favours developing the shale gas industry in Quebec.

However, a law and precise rules that would assure the security of the population and the environment must be adopted before any further exploration for shale gas is done, Marois said. She added that 50 per cent of the profits generated by the shale gas industry should go back to the regions where the energy source is drawn from.

Consultations begin Monday evening

Marois' comments come just as the long-awaited consultations at the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) on shale gas exploration are set to get underway Monday evening in St-Hyacinthe.

After recent tumultuous information meetings between citizens and industry representatives over the past few weeks, it will be the BAPE's turn to take on this controversial issue that riles up not only environmental groups, but also municipalities, farmers and scientists.

The BAPE consultations begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday night in St-Hyacinthe and continue through Wednesday, though it's possible a fourth day will be added if enough people register to speak.

The consultation will not be limited to St-Hyacinthe as people in Becancour and St-Edouard-de-Lotbiniere will also participate via live video.

"It's very interactive," BAPE spokesperson Danielle Hawley said. "People will be able to ask their questions to the commission live and in real time."

The meetings will also be webcast live on the BAPE web site.

Mandate, time frame criticized as too limiting

The commission was given a mandate by Environment Minister Pierre Arcand to "propose a framework for the development and exploration of shale gas that facilitates a harmonious co-existence of that activity with the concerned populations, the environment and other sectors of activity."

The commission must also propose guidelines for the legal framework of shale gas exploration and also attach scientific analyses to evaluate the real impacts of it.

The information meetings between citizens and industry types have been contentious, and in one case the police had to be called in to keep the peace.

The Union of Quebec Municipalities also jumped in the ring Friday, inviting its members to "use the powers at their disposal to control the industry's activities on their territory," most notably by refusing to accept the industry's used water.

Environmental groups have been at the forefront of the fight against shale gas exploration, denouncing the lack of transparency by the government and the industry while also questioning the limited mandate and time allotment given to the BAPE to properly examine the issue.

Report due in February

The BAPE commission's report is due Feb. 4, 2011.

Marois agrees that the BAPE's mandate is too limiting and that time and monetary constraints will have a negative impact on the final report's credibility.

According to the supporting documents provided by the Natural Resources Ministry on Sept. 13, there are currently 109 oil and gas research permits held by 13 companies on the territory where shale gas is believed to be found. That territory covers a surface area of 18,000 square kilometers.

Since 2007, there's been 28 exploratory digs for shale gas, including seven in 2010.