Foreign Fracking Feelings - Germany Says No, U.K. Says Yes

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Stop Fracking Now!As the fracking debate rages on here in the United States, it is also taking place in Europe.  Two stories today highlight the different viewpoints being taken there.

The first article reports that fracking is being rejected in Germany, while the second shows that officials in the United Kingdom are open to allowing the process as long as proper regulations are in place.

The first, from Common Dreams:

Germany has rejected the gas drilling practice known as fracking, Spiegel reports today.
The German newspaper reports that Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen and Economy Minister Philipp Rösler were "very skeptical" about the process.
Environmental groups in Germany had already begun mobilizing and organizing protests to stop ExxonMobil's fracking plans.

Read the rest of the article here.

The second article, from the BBC:


The chairman of the Environment Agency, Lord Smith, has given his support to the expansion of the controversial "fracking" method of extracting natural gas from shale rock in the UK.
Energy companies say the use of fracking will lead to cheaper supplies.
Lord Smith told the BBC it could be a "useful addition" to the UK's "energy mix" if certain requirements were met.
But critics say there are risks from the process, which has been linked to two earth tremors in Lancashire.
The process of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) involves pumping water and chemicals into shale rock at high pressure to extract gas.
There has been a boom in the process worldwide, as nations seek new and less expensive ways to increase their energy supplies.
And last month a government-named panel of experts produced a report that said fracking should continue, but under strict conditions.
But fracking has been blamed for the pollution of underground and surface water supplies, as well as causing minor earthquakes.
Lord Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he would not stand in the way of fracking in the UK, as long as certain requirements were met, arguing that "it could be part of the answer" to the UK's energy demands.

Read the rest of the article here.

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