The Christian Science Monitor: Europe at TTIP talks: Open the US energy spigot

European officials are using transatlantic trade talks to push for access to the US shale oil and gas boom, largely off-limits due to decades-old trade restrictions on US energy exports. Environmental groups and consumer advocates oppose lifting the ban on concerns it will raise domestic energy prices and contribute to climate change.

European officials have a message for their American counterparts as they head into transatlantic trade negotiations this week: Open the spigot.

The US energy renaissance looks particularly appealing from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean where Europeans pay a premium for energy and rely on Russia for a large portion of their fuels. The US shale boom has remained largely out of reach due to decades-old trade restrictions on US crude oil and permitting limits on natural gas, but the industry and some in Congress are pushing to expand exports. Doing so, they say, would boost profits at home while bolstering security abroad. Critics contend it would raise US energy prices and increase carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels.
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