European Parliament: shale gas development need to strengthen supervision

According to Reuters, the European Parliament recently voted against the proposal to ban  shale gas  development, and called for the establishment of a sophisticated regulatory system to respond to shale gas development to the environment issue.

From a global perspective, the United States has ushered in the first shale gas revolution. Shale gas in the lower gasoline prices at the same time, promote the process of U.S. energy structure optimization, reducing the use of coal. With the United States through the shale gas revolution took the road to energy independence, and received the support of sustainable economic development, cheap fuel, European countries have begun to try this.

However, the development of shale gas in Europe by many complex factors, including European countries, land ownership regulations and the high population density, etc., in addition to people on the exploitation of shale gas hydraulic fracturing techniques used in the environmental impact very worried.

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as  Hydraulic fracturing  technology, is in the water under high pressure injection of chemical substances rich shale technology. This method has been incurred numerous criticisms, people call may cause pollution of underground aquifers and bring earthquakes and other risks.

Although the European Parliament voted against hydraulic fracturing ban new mining activities, which would allow Member States the right to continue exploration of the country's reserves of shale gas resources, but the EU also started this enact safeguards. The European Commission plans next year to develop a risk management framework for shale gas, to solve the existing regulatory system in shale gas regulation in terms of defects.

European Commission Environment Commissioner Jia Neizi? Potocnik (Janez Potocnik),fracturing proppant said: "We carried out a number of studies showed that the existing EU regulatory system in the regulatory aspects of shale gas there are many uncertainties and defects on human health and environmental risks of shale gas industry will be able to obtain broad public support for the most important factor. "

Although this EU parliament voting results are not legally binding, but the European Commission gave lawmakers a clear political signal.

However, some environmentalists still want to be able to enact a law prohibiting the EU ban on shale gas development. European Parliament Carl? Scheppers Patel (Carl Schlyter) said: "This means that all member states to approve any controversial techniques and projects should think twice."