[Poll] EU OKs shale gas exploitation. “Minimum” principles to be enforced

Today the European Commission adopted a Recommendation aiming to ensure that proper environmental and climate safeguards are in place for “fracking” – the high-volume hydraulic fracturing technique used notably in shale gas operations

The Recommendation should help all Member States wishing to use this practice address health and environmental risks and improve transparency for citizens.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said:

“Shale gas is raising hopes in some parts of Europe, but is also a source of public concern. The Commission is responding to calls for action with minimum principles that Member States are invited to follow in order to address environmental and health concerns and give operators and investors the predictability they need.”

EU Member States are invited to apply the principles within six months and, from December 2014 onwards, inform the Commission each year about measures that they have put in place.

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Building on existing EU legislation and complementing it where necessary, the Recommendation invites Member States in particular to:

1. Plan ahead of developments and evaluate possible cumulative effects before granting licences;
2. Carefully assess environmental impacts and risks;
3. Ensure that the integrity of the well is up to best practice standards;
4. Check the quality of the local water, air, soil before operations start, in order to monitor any changes and deal with emerging risks;
5. Control air emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions, by capturing the gases;
6. Inform the public about chemicals used in individual wells, and
7. Ensure that operators apply best practices throughout the project.

The Commission will monitor the application of the Recommendation with a publicly available scoreboard that will compare the situation in different Member States. It will review the effectiveness of this approach in 18 months.

Environmental NGO Friends of the Earth reacted to the news saying that Bruxelles’ recommendation “are totally inedequate for protecting people and the environment against risks associated with fracking”. The organisation “denounces the EU’s lack of courage” and “hesitancy to take concrete measures in this domain”.

In Romania, the government temporarily suspended in may 2012 permits for shale gas exploration while waiting for the results of the EU’s environmental studies on this energy source. In March 2013, Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced that the moratorium on shale gas exploration in Romania had been lifted.

Energy company Chevron holds a number of concessions in Romania and has announced plans to begin exploration work there in late 2013. National energy corporation Petrom is also conducting preliminary analyses of its concessions and Romgaz, MOL, Sterling and East-West, and Zeta Petroleum have also all expressed an interest in further opportunities in Romania.

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