Merkel Set to Pass Legislation Banning Gas Fracking in Germany
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek
By Brian Parkin and Arne Delfs
June 23, 2016 — 8:00 PM PDT
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition is set to ban shale gas fracking in Germany, passing legislation in parliament on Friday that is set to end years of discussion over whether the nation should follow the U.S. in launching a boom in drilling.
Merkel’s coalition of Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats will use their majority to amend natural gas extraction rules, in effect banning the unconventional method of tapping oil and gas deposits not reachable with traditional methods, according to a draft bill obtained by Bloomberg News. Conventional fracking that doesn’t involve extraction from shale may be continued to be practiced under strict rules, the draft shows.
The lawmakers moved quickly after a report that companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. and Wintershall AG, which sought licenses for exploration, were preparing to move ahead. As long ago as 2014, Merkel’s coalition prepared an mining amendment that would allow shale fracking below 3,000 meters under certain geological conditions. The government wanted the companies to hold off on projects until after the amendment was passed.
“We have a new situation where industry said that without any legal rules, we’ll simply start making requests,” said Volker Kauder, parliamentary chief for Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc, in comments to reporters this week in Berlin. “Therefore we had to act.”
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-24/merkel-set-to-pass-legislation-banning-gas-fracking-in-germany
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