Ban on fracking is right: minister

A licensing ban on fracking is justified, the environment minister said yesterday as a report by the Environmental Protection Agency warned of risk of contamination, including water, and potential gas leaks.

The EPA asserted a number of issues about fracking had to be resolved before it could approve the use of the controversial measure in Ireland.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a process of drilling down into rock before shattering the shale rock below with a high-pressure water mixture to extract gases. The EPA has published the findings of a research programme which examined the potential impacts of Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction, or fracking, on water, seismicity and air quality.