Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) has lifted a nearly twoyear moratorium on fracking to extract gas, unlocking vast onshore reserves in the resource-rich region and raising the possibility of other provinces following suit, according to reports. NT, a 1.4m sq km expanse of outback extending from the centre of Australia to its northern coastline, had banned hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in September 2016 amid concerns the drilling method could harm the environment. It commissioned an inquiry into the environmental, social and economic risks of the extraction process and accepted the inquiry’s conclusion that the risks were manageable, Reuters reported.
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