28.06.2016
Legislation
Hydraulic fracturing for shale gas and shale oil banned After years of debate, the German parliament has passed regulations about hydraulic fracturing. The law bans hydraulic fracturing for the production of shale gas as well as shale oil. In[...]read more
11.06.2015
Legislation, Generic, Water Protection
acatech - the German National Academy of Science and Engineering has published a position paper (in German) about applications, economic perspectives and environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing. The academy´s project group, led by Rolf[...]read more
26.05.2015
Water Protection, Legislation
The members of the expert group on hydraulic fracturing chemicals within the Water Chemistry Society, German Chemical Society (GDCh), together with scientists from North America, have commented on the German draft law on hydraulic fracturing, which[...]read more
02.04.2015
Legislation
On 1st April the German Bundeskabinett (Germany´s government) introduced a bill regulating hydraulic fracturing in Germany. The bill addresses mainly "unconventional" hydraulic fracturing in shales and coal seams. There are also some[...]read more
11.07.2014
Legislation, Generic
The German Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Ministry of Economics have agreed on key principles in the regulation of fracking. These are the most stringent principles that have ever been in place in Germany in this area. In the[...]read more
27.03.2014
Legislation, Generic
Author: Michal Tarka Lawyer and doctoral candidate at Faculty of Law, Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM) in Poznań,Poland As an expert for the “Together about shales” programme financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection (NFEP), I[...]read more
27.01.2014
Legislation, Generic
Building on existing EU legislation and complementing it where necessary, the Recommendation invites Member States in particular to: Plan ahead of developments and evaluate possible cumulative effects before granting licences;Carefully assess[...]read more
17.12.2013
Legislation, Generic
“According to current environmentally relevant studies, there is enormous potential risk attached to the use of fracking technology for the unconventional extraction of natural gas – and especially shale gas. The consequences for humans, nature and[...]read more
16.10.2013
Legislation
New expert article from Anna Alexandra Seuser, University of Trier:On Wednesday, October 9, 2013, the European Parliament examined the question of revising the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (EIA) and formulated a request for a mandatory[...]read more
10.10.2013
Legislation
The European Parliament has proposed that exploration and hydraulic fracturing extraction activities for non-conventional hydrocarbons should be subject to environmental impact studies, in adopting an amendment to existing EU legislation on[...]read more
28.09.2012
Legislation
The institute of German and European water law (IDEW) at Trier university in Germany organized a discussion forum on "Fracking and [German] water law". The forum was held on 19 september 2012 in Cologne. The director of IDEW, Prof. M.[...]read more
14.09.2012
Water Protection, Climate Impact, Legislation
The European Commission (EC) has commissioned three studies to investigate the possible consequences of exploiting shale gas. The studies were published on 7 September, 2012 and look at the potential effects of unconventional fuels on energy[...]read more
07.09.2012
Generic, Water Protection, Legislation
Hydraulic fracturing should not be banned, but its application should be allowed only with strict regulation in place. That is the bottom line of a comprehensive study (in German only) on the water-related environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing[...]read more
04.05.2012
Legislation, Climate Impact
The use of "reduced emissions completion (REC)", also known as “green completion”, has been prescribed for hydraulically fractured natural gas wells from Jan. 2015 onwards. This is part of the final rule on New Source Performance Standards[...]read more
02.05.2012
Legislation, Generic
Susan L. Sakmar has published a SHIP expert article "Overview of Environmental Issues and US Regulatory Framework Pertaining to US Shale Gas Development". Read the article here. Susan is licensed to practice law in California and has over[...]read more
29.03.2012
Legislation
A government report recommending concrete steps in shale oil and gas R&D was published on March 21, 2012 together with a decree on the implementation of a commission for the evaluation of environmental risks related to hydraulic fracturing and[...]read more
13.03.2012
Legislation
Disclosure of fracturing fluids is required in Texas for wells with an initial drilling permit issued on or after Feb. 1, 2012, and in Colorado for wells where hydraulic fracturing treatments are performed on or after April 1, 2012. The new rules[...]read more
16.02.2012
Water Protection, Legislation
[Update Dec. 2012: Study was withdrawn] Hydraulic fracturing of shale formations to extract natural gas has no direct connection to reports of groundwater contamination, based on evidence reviewed in the study Fact-Based Regulation for[...]read more
28.01.2012
Legislation
On 27 January 2012 the European Commission published the Final Report on Unconventional Gas in Europe, addressing the licensing and permitting procedures for shale gas projects. Based on a sample of four Member States (France, Germany, Poland and[...]read more
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