Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard says no to shale gas

Quebec Premier PhilippeCouillardsays there will be no shale gas development in his province.

Couillardmade the pronouncement in an interview to be aired tonight with Radio-Canada'sTljournal,a day after the province's environmental protection agency released a report raisingenvironmental and safety concerns.

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The premier said developingshale gas would bring economic and financialbenefits, but thereisn`t enough support from the population to move forward.

"Right now, I do not see the interest in developing (the resource)," Couillardtold hostClineGalipeau.

The report released Mondayoutlinedpotential negativeconsequences from extractingnatural gas from shale rock deposits along the St. Lawrence River.It cites risks to air and water quality, as well as potentialincreases in noise and light pollution, and says the deposits in theprovince are located in densely populated areas along the river.

The Quebec government issued a moratorium in 2011 on exploringfor natural gas in the province until it finished an environmentalassessment, which included the report published today.

There are up to 300 trillion cubicfeet of natural gas in shale deposits in Quebec and that before themoratorium, 31 exploration wells had been drilled between Montrealand Quebec City, according to the federal government.