Britain has rejected the case for a relaxation of fracking regulations despite warnings that the current system is “strangling” the industry, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves the extraction of gas from rocks by breaking them up with water and chemicals at high pressure. The process is fiercely opposed by environmentalists who argue, among other things, that extraction of more fossil fuel is at odds with Britain’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy Minister Claire Perry has dismissed pleas by shale gas developer Cuadrilla for rules to be loosened, the FT said, citing a letter from Perry to the company’s chief executive. Cuadrilla, which hopes to become the first in Britain to start commercial fracking for gas, has been forced to pause operations […]