Fracking is considered environmentally harmful. In view of the energy crisis, the parliamentary director of the FDP now wants to have the ban checked in Germany – and refers to deliveries from the USA.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck does not believe in natural gas production in Germany through so-called fracking and has rejected an initiative by the FDP.
Habeck said on Sunday in Flensburg: “The debate about fracking is of no use to us at this time. It takes years, if you want to do it at all, to develop such deposits.”
The “bridge made of gas” to the world of renewable energies is getting shorter every day. The deposits that could be fracked have not even been tested yet. “There’s no interest in doing that,” Habeck said. In this respect, it is a debate that leads to a division in society. “We have a clear task: to reduce the amount of energy that we consume, at all levels.” In addition, the expansion of renewable energies must be accelerated.
In view of the lower Russian gas deliveries, Habeck had announced additional measures to save gas and increase precautions.
Natural gas production: FDP questions fracking ban
In view of the energy crisis, the FDP wants to put the ban on natural gas production in Germany through so-called fracking to the test.
“As scientific studies show, fracking does not cause any relevant environmental damage under modern safety standards,” said the parliamentary director of the FDP, Torsten Herbst, of the “Welt am Sonntag”. Anyone who imports fracking gas from the USA cannot be against safe fracking funding in Germany. “It should therefore be seriously examined whether greater shale gas production is feasible in Germany from an economic and technical point of view,” he said.
The energy policy spokesman for the FDP in the Bundestag, Michael Kruse, told the newspaper that his party supported “the significant expansion of domestic natural gas production”. All options would have to be examined. “We have always rejected the content of the Fracking Prohibition Act of 2017 from this straightforward position.”
Environmentalists criticize fracking
Fracking uses pressure and chemicals to extract gas or oil from rock layers, which poses environmental hazards. Criticism is also leveled at liquefaction through strong cooling because, according to environmentalists, this costs up to 25 percent of the energy content of the gas.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is trying to achieve rapid energy independence from Russia in view of the Ukraine war. However, he rejects fracking in Germany and points to possible negative consequences for the environment and legal hurdles.
Most recently, CSU boss Markus Söder and NRW Economics Minister Andreas Pinkwart (FDP) as well as the head of the German Economic Institute (IW), Michael Hüther, called for an open-ended examination of fracking. According to “Welt am Sonntag”, the Professional Association of German Geoscientists (BDG) is in favor of considering fracking in view of the energy crisis.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
