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The EP claims that fracking is included in the reform of the European directive on environmental impact assessment. ""Hydraulic fracturing raises concerns.'ve Proposed clear criteria for avoiding conflicts of interest and for the public to be more involved,"" said the speaker, the liberal Italian Andrea Zanoni.
The existing directive already covers related projects natural gas extracted at least 500,000 cubic meters per day. However, the extraction yields of shale gas are often lower due to rock fracturing process, which is why the promoters of these projects are not usually required to conduct an environmental assessment prior.
Therefore, claim MEPs in the policy include all exploration and prospecting through hydraulic fracturing of unconventional hydrocarbons such as gas and shale oil or gas obtained from coal deposits, regardless of the amount withdrawn.
The EP proposes measures to prevent conflicts of interest between the project sponsors and the people who carry out environmental impact studies. In this regard, the amendments from MEPs underline that experts should be competent, independent and objective.
The European Parliament also calls for measures to ensure that citizens are properly informed and consulted on projects with environmental effects, according to the Aarhus Convention on public participation. PSOE CRITICAL TO THE SPANISH LAW
Socialist MEP Andres Perello has ensured that the comparison of the policy supported by the European Parliament with the law on impact assessment presented by the PP ""evidence permissibility of the great Spanish legislation against the application of the precautionary principle, which the EU"" .
To Perello, Spanish law is ""a law rambling and traps that all it does is that some cronies can continue to build what they want and how they want"" and modify the directive force.
""Governments like PP in Spain are highly permissive aggressive techniques with the environment so that in conditions enact laws impact assessment facile and permeable, such as in the case of fracking"" has criticized.
""With several projects ahead fracking in Spain, the Castor case, in which the earthquakes were caused by the use of a pressure of 421 atmospheres, should make us think about what can happen if you use the 700 atmospheres required for hydraulic fracturing, ""he said in a statement.
Original article in Spanish
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