French Vote to Ban Hydraulic Fracturing

The French National Assembly has passed legislation prohibiting the hydraulic fracturing technique for exploration and exploitation of unconventional oil and gas.

The legislation, proposed by the governing right of center UMP party, was adopted as a result of  287 votes for, and 186 against.

Yesterday, opponents of hydraulic fracturing gathered outside of the National Assembly, while parliamentarians discussed the future of shale gas and shale oil development in France

The demonstrators had the support of many members of France's political left, including the antiglobalization activitist and European Parliament deputy José Bové, Danielle Mitterrand, the widow of France’s Socialist former president, François Mitterrand, and Eva Joly and Nicolas Hulot, two presidential rivals from the left.

Socialist Party members of National Assembly had declared their intention to vote against the government's bill, claiming that an amendment to the original legislation is a smoke screen to allow shale drilling to proceed.

The original bill clearly stated that licenses already issued for unconventional gas and oil were to be repealed and called for the ban on further exploration and exploitation.

However, the revised version passed today stipulates that licensees must, within two months after the publication of the law, detail the processes that they intend to employ in extracting the resources in a report to the administrative authority that originally issued the permit.

The permits would be revoked if this report is not submitted or if it "refers to the use, or possible use of hydraulic fracturing of the rock," after drilling.

Environmentalists are concerned that the watered down language provides an opening for explorers to conduct unconventional oil and gas activities.

The legislation now moves to the French Senate for approval.