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Australia's Northern Territory Introduces Moratorium on Fracking

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Australia's Northern Territory introduced a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing activities on Wednesday.

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Australia's Northern Territory (NT) on Wednesday introduced a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing activities, NT's Chief Minister Michael Gunner said.

"I announce that the Government will as of today implement this election commitment to introduce a moratorium of hydraulic fracturing of the Territory's unconventional gas resources," Gunner said at the oil and gas summit held in the region's capital of Darwin, as quoted by the ABC broadcaster.

General exploratory activities across the region would continue, he added.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves injecting a mixture of toxic chemicals into the ground at high pressure. Along with causing tremors, the method is also widely criticized for contaminating ground water, causing soil pollution and producing noise. The technology has been repeatedly slammed by environmental activists and some policymakers, who claim that it leads to water contamination.

The NT is not the only country's region, whose authorities are trying to limit fracking activities on its territory. On August 30, the southeastern Australian state of Victoria became the first country's territory that had introduced the permanent ban on hydraulic fracturing.

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