The government of Victoria (Australia) has announced that it would make permanent the temporary ban on shale gas hydraulic fracturation ("fracking") that was enacted in 2012. The ban had been introduced in August 2012, despite the absence of production, commercial reserves or even identified shale gas reserves in Victorian. It has been extended since then.
The 17 holders of shale gas exploration licenses in the State will be compensated. One of the exploring companies, Lakes Oil, has launched legal action in the Supreme Court of Victoria over this proposal to make the ban permanent. The company was not exploring for coal-seam gas but its exploration activities were suspended in 2014, when the government introduced a ban on onshore conventional gas drilling.
The government of Victoria has also announced an extension of the ban on onshore drilling for conventional gas until 2020, to assess the economic and environmental impacts of this production.
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