European Parliament: assessing the impact from shale gas exploitation on the environment should be mandatory

After a great disappointment at the end of January 2014, when the European Commission in its proposals succumbed to thepressure from the UK and Poland and gave up responsibility for the request of member states to adopt legislation guaranteeing assessing the impact of exploration and exploitation of shale gas on the environment, the European Parliament sided with citizens.

In paragraph 90 of today’s resolution this text was passed:

The European Parliament calls on the Commission to prepare legislation on hydraulic fracturing incorporated the requirement for mandatory assessment of both the exploration and the exploitation of shale gas and its environmental impacts. Parliament also stresses that there is a sufficient number of chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process. Parliament calls on the Commission in the preparation of such legislation to ensure transparency of all data on these chemicals in order to ensure the highest level of protection of human health and nature.

It is not just the legal standards, but the statement of the Parliament should be taken into account by the European Commission.

Relatively favorable outcome was made possible by the continues warnings about the impact on the environment from non-governmental organizations from all EU.