Scotland launches consultation on fracking

Scotland has launched a consultation on whether to allow unconventional oil and gas extraction such as fracking, its government said on Tuesday, with a vote expected at the end of the year. Substantial amounts of shale gas are estimated to be trapped in underground rocks and the British government wants to exploit it to help offset declining North Sea oil and gas output. "The Scottish Government has a very important decision to make in determining the future of unconventional oil and gas," Paul