Polish Officials Confident About Environmental Protection

Senior officials at Poland’s Ministry of Environment held a press conference today relating to shale gas development.

Mr. Henryk Jacek Jezierski, Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Environment and Chief National Geologist said that Poland was well prepared in controlling the process of exploring for and the future extraction of shale gas based upon appropriate regulations, laws and state oversight.

Officials said that the key to efficient management of shale gas resources was in taking care to minimize any negative impact on the environment by exploration and extraction activity, the exclusion of any risk associated with these processes to the general population and to provide rehabilitation and compensation systems.

Mr Andrew Jagusiewicz, Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection added that new legislation allowed for control the investment process from beginning to end, with penalties for non-compliance ranging from suspension of business operation or even imprisonment.

The conference was also attended by Michael Kiełsznia, General Director of Environmental Protection and Leszek Karwowski, President of the National Water Management.