Premier Jean Charest believes that the Office of Environmental Public Hearings (BAPE) will be able to undertake serious consultations on the extraction and sale of shale gas.
It is believed that Quebec has large reserves of natural gas, trapped between layers of rock referred to as shale.
Its extraction and commercialization have attracted the ire of environmentalist and many in communities where the reserves are believed to reside.
There is much popular concern about the possible threat to ground water caused by extracting the gas.
On Friday, eleven experts – including a former BAPE president, a vice-president and four
BAPE commissioners – co-signed a public statement claiming that the BAPE hearings on shale gas will be compromised by a lack of resources and time.
They stated that it will be impossible for current members to hold rigorous and credible hearings.
When asked to comment on the statement, Charest said that the BAPE could simply refer the experiences of other areas where shale gas extraction is already underway.
Quebec Environment Minister Pierre Arcand added that he has no intention of allowing the industry to develop in an uncontrolled manner.
With files from The Canadian Press
