Thousands take to the streets of Romania against shale gas
In numerous dynamic protests in many cities of Romania, one of the poorest EU member states, thousands of citizens voiced a strong “no” to the plans of Chevron to drill for shale gas (CrisisWatch12).
After winning a majority vote of confidence at the Parliament in December 2012, the government of Victor Ponta softened its pre-election position against hydraulic fracturing for shale gas (fracking) and decided to end the moratorium that had been voted by the previous Parliament. This opens the way for Chevron’s drilling operations in three areas.
Many European states turn to hydrocarbon exploration as the black gold bonanza that will take them out of dismal setting of the economic crisis. Fracking for shale gas, a technology involving many serious environmental risks, such as groundwater toxic contamination and methane leakage from the wells, attracts the interest of investors as it allegedly promises access to gas reserves that would otherwise remain beyond reach.
Sources: The Budapest Times, Reuters, WWF UK blog.