Dow Jones: EU Lawmakers Divided On Approach To Take On Shale Gas - Drafts

European lawmakers are deeply divided on how to deal with shale gas exploration in the European Union, two draft reports seen by Dow Jones Newswires showed Thursday.

The two reports--which are early versions of the positions on shale gas of two key parliamentary committees--show how lawmakers in charge of energy issues are much more enthusiastic about the potential development of shale gas in the EU than colleagues from the committee in charge of environment issues.

"Domestic production of shale gas will contribute to security of supply, bearing in mind member states' dependence on natural gas imports from third countries," the parliament's energy committee's draft report read. "Developing shale gas in the EU will help achieve the EU's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions" in the long term, it added.

While production of shale gas in the U.S. is changing the global natural gas market and has decreased the country's energy dependence, the issue is divisive in the EU. France and Bulgaria are the main opponents to its extraction because of environmental concerns. Others, led by Poland, are strongly in favor because they see it as a means of easing their dependence on imported gas, usually from Russia.  MORE

Related reading: EU Parliament Draft Motion Supports Shale Gas Development in Europe