Fracking by country
Fracking has become a contentious environmental and health issue with Tunisia and France banning the practice and a de facto moratorium in place in Quebec (Canada), and some of the states of the US.
An occupation involving thousands of people in 2014 led to the state government suspending miner Metagasco's licence to drill at Bentley, NSW.
[7] A number of protests occurred in Bulgaria after the government's decision to grant an approval for Chevron Corporation to research the possibilities of shale gas extraction in the country's northeast in 2011.
The First Nations people of the area had previously raised concerns about the environmental impacts of fracking as well as the government's failure to consult with them.
[21] The exploration license, which runs until 2016, covers the two areas Nordjylland and Nordsjælland, where the geological characteristics are expected to provide the best potential for shale gas.
[25] The acknowledged green think tank Concito has produced a report that states, that it will be both practically and technically feasible to establish shale gas production in Denmark without having to fear of contamination of drinking water or the release of methane from wells.
[9][27][28][29] It was based on the precautionary principle as well as the principal of preventive and corrective action of environmental hazards, using the best available techniques with an acceptable economic cost to insure the protection, the valuation, the restoration, management of spaces, resources and natural environments, of animal and vegetal species, of ecological diversity and equilibriums.
[31] In December 2017, to fight against global warming, France adopted a law banning new fossil fuel exploitation projects and closing current ones by 2040 in all of its territories.
[35] In February 2013, the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel announced draft regulations that would allow for the exploitation of shale gas deposits using the same fracking techniques common in the U.S., with the exception only of wetland areas that make up just over 10% of German territory.
[37] However these plans immediately drew massive critique both from opposition parties and elements of Merkel's own CDU, as well as from major NGOs, large parts of the press and the general public.
Here is an excerpt from the coalition contract:[38] Although German laws de jure explicitly prohibit only the use of hydraulic fracturing in designated water preserves, fracking operations generally need be authorized by the government, which has publicly declared a moratorium until long-term damage to residents or the environment brought about by fracking can be ruled out or until alternative extraction methods become available that don't rely on the injection of toxic chemical additives in the fluid system.
[44][45] Poland is aggressively developing its shale gas reserves, thought to be the largest in Europe, though the latest estimate is significantly lower than that previously provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The county police chief instituted a state of necessity barring citizens to travel in or out of that area, imposed a curfew and interdicted any public assembly.
[62] The South African government is currently (2014) strongly campaigning for fracking to be rolled-out across much of the country to act as a "bridge-fuel" between coal and alternative fuels.
[63] However, recent studies show that the loss of methane to the environment during production, transportation, and power generation is considerable, potentially negating benefits.
[70] Despite these benefits, activists vehemently opposed the move by the government and the ruling party, the ANC, and made a series of well-publicised protests at the end of September 2012.
[71] Companies are allowed to proceed with the initial stages of exploration, including geological field mapping and other data gathering activities, until such time as an appropriate regulatory framework has been put in place.
Actual fracking activities, essential during the later stages of exploration when determining the financial viability of a potential project, would for the time being remain prohibited until a legal framework has been completed.
Initial exploration would go a long way towards confirming whether the Karoo indeed held the estimated technically recoverable resource of 485 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.
[72] However, local South African campaigners argue that exploration represents the thin-edge of the corporate wedge, and should not go ahead because of concerns about air pollution, groundwater contamination, and health risks associated with fluid additives used for fracturing.
[74] The karoo, famous for the quality of its lamb, is an arid region that it is largely reliant on underground water for agriculture and drinking supplies.
After Pugh's speech, Bonang Mohale, Shell's representative, announced in reference to fracking that: We will leave the Karoo better than it was when we found it, and: There is zero chance that there will be any contamination of the water.
[86] Members of the Constituent Assembly belonging to president Moncef Marzouki's party, the Congress For the Republic, have sponsored a bill for the moratorium of hydraulic fracturing on 6 February 2014.
Ukraine continues to vigorously pursue reforms designed to achieve energy independence, which portends well for hydraulic fracturing as a helpful option in that regard.
The process was unofficially suspended for nearly a year in the UK from June 2011 after safety concerns emerged from the occurrence of two small earthquakes, but an expert report in April 2012 concluded the practice could continue under stricter monitoring.
[97] As of 2013 the government was optimistic about development of the shale gas industry and was offering favorable tax treatment at a time when local budgets are being slashed.
The block was imposed in January 2015 through the planning and environmental permitting systems, pending the devolution of full powers over fracking to the Scottish Government as per the Smith Commission.
Several environmental groups and opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament stated that a moratorium was inadequate, and a full legal ban was required.
[106] In March 2019, the High Court found the UK government's policy was unlawful and failed to consider the climate impact of shale gas extraction.
[123] This method of well completion has become controversial in high-activity states like Texas, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Ohio, because of the complaints about pollution, health effects and earthquakes.
