Posted on 07/05/2014 6:26:52 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
BERLIN—Germany plans to halt shale-gas drilling for the next seven years over concerns that exploration techniques could pollute groundwater.
"There won't be [shale-gas] fracking in Germany for the foreseeable future," Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks said Friday.
The planned regulations come amid a political standoff with Russia, Germany's main natural gas supplier, and following intensive lobbying from environmentalists and brewers concerned about possible drinking-water contamination.
The production of shale gas requires the application of the hydraulic fracturing technology known as fracking, which involves using a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break apart rocks to release the gas. The government plans to ban the use of hydraulic fracturing technology for drilling operations shallower than 3,000 meters (1.9 miles) and hopes to get a bill ready early next year.
The government will reassess the ban in 2021.
"Protecting drinking water and health has the highest value for us," Ms. Hendricks said.
Fracking technology has been used since the 1960s in Germany, allowing the industry to maximize the output of conventional gas fields. Although there is currently an oversupply of natural gas in Europe, prices in Germany are much higher than in the U.S. where fracking is used extensively.
But Germans are suspicious of fracking, fearing that it could pollute drinking water. Shale-gas carrying rock formations tend to be closer to the surface, and therefore closer to groundwater deposits.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Idioten.
Psst! Want to buy some hydrocarbons?
Die, you simpleton, 40 IQ German fascists.You’re not worth saving.
Perrier water is bubbled up by gas naturaly and benzene is filtered out (from the Perrier contamination scandal). Obviously they still drink the stuff.mixed with shnaps, so what is the problem?
These people are retards.
Behind the green religion you often find another kind of green.
Well said! The current German gouvernment is simply imbecile.
:(
Regards from Europe
Andreas
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