Germany Planning to Tighten Shale Gas Extraction Rules

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Germany has plans to beef up environmental regulations surrounding drilling programs for shale gas. According to the Journal, the new rules would all but ban shale gas drilling in Germany, although an initiative by the state could simultaneously help production in more traditional natural gas fields.

As quoted in the publication:

Traditional natural gas extraction in Germany has dwindled due to public opposition to new applications of hydraulic fracturing technology, known as fracking. Yet the technology has been used in Germany since the 1960s, allowing the industry to maximize the output of conventional gas fields. But fear that widespread fracking could pollute drinking water has prompted regulators to restrict almost all gas extraction around the country. Now the federal government wants to tighten regulations but at least one German state aims to allow the tapping of conventional gas fields through fracking under certain conditions.

Click here to read the full Wall Street Journal article.