EU Commissioner: No Need for Shale Ban

EU Climate Action  Commissioner Connie Hedegaard has said that there is no need for a community wide action on shale gas drilling based upon the information presented.

'I would not be inclined towards a moratorium based on what I have heard so far,' the European Union's top official on climate change said Friday.

Hedegaard said the EU 'cannot afford to say no' to a technology which is still at a very early stage of development, and stressed the technical challenges still to be overcome before it can be applied on a wide scale.

The Commissioner added that appropriate legislation sufficient to ensure compliance with the environment in relation to the exploration of shale gas, already exists in Europe.