Members of the EU Parliament had conflicting views on a study on shale gas. (Wikicommons)
A debate in the European Parliament this week gave further evidence of the divide among member states over the issue of shale gas drilling, the controversial technology that has transformed the US gas market and which some say could do the same in Europe.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from Poland, the country that has been most active in drilling for shale gas over the past few months, vigorously defended the practice, while British, French and German ministers all expressed environmental or public safety concerns.
The discussion took place on Wednesday at the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and the Food Safety. A study on shale gas, entitled the Impact of shale gas and shale oil extraction on the environment and human health, commissioned by the Committee, was presented by the project team leader Matthias Altmann from German energy and environment consultancy Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik.
Altman addressed environmental challenges linked with unconventional gas exploration in Europe, such as the pollution of ground water and methane leakage. He also mentioned the absence of a supranational EU framework directive governing mining activities, identifying at least nine regulatory gaps, such as the absence of Environmental Impact Assessments for hydraulic fracturing and the lack of best available technology practices in the continent. Altman also stressed though that, on average, only around 2% of shale gas wells lead to serious violation of environmental and safety standards.
The presentation was followed by a debate among members of the committee, conducted by Joe Leinen, a German MEP and Chair of the Environment Committee. Poland’s Boguslaw Sonik called for further studies in addition to Altmann’s report. He and fellow countryman Konrad Szymanski criticised the study’s methodology, especially the methane leakage calculation methods.
Another Polish MEP, Lena Kolarska-Bobinska, stressed the fact that the study did not address the positive impact of shale gas for national and European energy security and El?bieta Katarzyna Lukacijewska underlined the importance of shale gas for Poland’s economic development and energy security.
Unrestricted shale gas drilling faced opposition from a number of important MEPs. Linda McAvan from the UK called for stronger protection of the environment and consumers. France’s Sandrine Belier added that unconventional gas production might pose unacceptable environmental risks, especially in the absence of a proper regulatory framework. She also called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and supported her government’s decision to withdraw three shale gas exploration licences in the south of France earlier this week.
Italy’s Vittorio Prodi said energy efficiency might be a better solution for Europe than unconventional gas production. An MEP from Greece, Kriton Arsenis, said that unconventional gas production might not be compatible with Europe’s Roadmap – 2050 targets for energy production and greenhouse gas reductions. He also expressed his concerns regarding the lack of drilling regulations. For instance, he mentioned, gas production below 500,000 cubic metres per day is not covered by EU mining regulations.
The EU Commission, which has not openly taken sides in the shale gas debate, opted not to send its representative to the meeting. Several MEPs proposed to ask the Commission to take a position on hydraulic fracturing. The lawmakers also suggested adopting a relevant Resolution in the European Parliament should the Commission abstain from expressing its point of view.
The issue even threatens to affect the relationship between member states and the EU itself. On Tuesday, government officials from Poland said the country would defy any attempts by EU institutions to block shale gas exploration within its borders. “There are voices in the European Parliament calling for a European moratorium on shale gas exploration and production,” Katarzyna Kacperczyk, deputy director of the economic department at the Polish Foreign Ministry, told journalists at a public event in Brussels. “Poland maintains the view that the choice of national energy mix and the exploitation of energy resources is regarded as national competence under Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,” she said.
Shale gas debate divides European Parliament
Members of the EU Parliament had conflicting views on a study on shale gas. (Wikicommons)
A debate in the European Parliament this week gave further evidence of the divide among member states over the issue of shale gas drilling, the controversial technology that has transformed the US gas market and which some say could do the same in Europe.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from Poland, the country that has been most active in drilling for shale gas over the past few months, vigorously defended the practice, while British, French and German ministers all expressed environmental or public safety concerns.
The discussion took place on Wednesday at the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and the Food Safety. A study on shale gas, entitled the Impact of shale gas and shale oil extraction on the environment and human health, commissioned by the Committee, was presented by the project team leader Matthias Altmann from German energy and environment consultancy Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik.
Altman addressed environmental challenges linked with unconventional gas exploration in Europe, such as the pollution of ground water and methane leakage. He also mentioned the absence of a supranational EU framework directive governing mining activities, identifying at least nine regulatory gaps, such as the absence of Environmental Impact Assessments for hydraulic fracturing and the lack of best available technology practices in the continent. Altman also stressed though that, on average, only around 2% of shale gas wells lead to serious violation of environmental and safety standards.
The presentation was followed by a debate among members of the committee, conducted by Joe Leinen, a German MEP and Chair of the Environment Committee. Poland’s Boguslaw Sonik called for further studies in addition to Altmann’s report. He and fellow countryman Konrad Szymanski criticised the study’s methodology, especially the methane leakage calculation methods.
Another Polish MEP, Lena Kolarska-Bobinska, stressed the fact that the study did not address the positive impact of shale gas for national and European energy security and El?bieta Katarzyna Lukacijewska underlined the importance of shale gas for Poland’s economic development and energy security.
Unrestricted shale gas drilling faced opposition from a number of important MEPs. Linda McAvan from the UK called for stronger protection of the environment and consumers. France’s Sandrine Belier added that unconventional gas production might pose unacceptable environmental risks, especially in the absence of a proper regulatory framework. She also called for a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing and supported her government’s decision to withdraw three shale gas exploration licences in the south of France earlier this week.
Italy’s Vittorio Prodi said energy efficiency might be a better solution for Europe than unconventional gas production. An MEP from Greece, Kriton Arsenis, said that unconventional gas production might not be compatible with Europe’s Roadmap – 2050 targets for energy production and greenhouse gas reductions. He also expressed his concerns regarding the lack of drilling regulations. For instance, he mentioned, gas production below 500,000 cubic metres per day is not covered by EU mining regulations.
The EU Commission, which has not openly taken sides in the shale gas debate, opted not to send its representative to the meeting. Several MEPs proposed to ask the Commission to take a position on hydraulic fracturing. The lawmakers also suggested adopting a relevant Resolution in the European Parliament should the Commission abstain from expressing its point of view.
The issue even threatens to affect the relationship between member states and the EU itself. On Tuesday, government officials from Poland said the country would defy any attempts by EU institutions to block shale gas exploration within its borders. “There are voices in the European Parliament calling for a European moratorium on shale gas exploration and production,” Katarzyna Kacperczyk, deputy director of the economic department at the Polish Foreign Ministry, told journalists at a public event in Brussels. “Poland maintains the view that the choice of national energy mix and the exploitation of energy resources is regarded as national competence under Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,” she said.