Bloomberg: France Should Explore Potential of Shale Resources, Senator Says

France should allow exploration for shale oil and gas to gauge potential reserves even after banning hydraulic fracturing used to extract the fuels, the author of a report into alternative technologies told fellow lawmakers.

“We can’t close the door to research,” said Jean-Claude Lenoir, a senator who’s researching the alternatives to so- called fracking, banned in 2011. “Good sense tells us we should allow exploration to see how much resources we actually have.” He spoke at a parliamentary hearing into his report today.

President Francois Hollande said in September he backed the fracking ban because of dangers to the environment. Opponents of the method, which blasts sand and chemicals into shale rock to release fuel, say it can contaminate underground water supplies. France and Poland have the greatest potential for recoverable shale gas in Europe, the International Energy Agency says.  MORE