18 Amendments of Kathleen VAN BREMPT related to 2011/2308(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas recent technological advancements have already spurred a rapid, commercial-scale extraction of unconventional fossil fuels (UFF) in certain parts of the world, significantly increasing energy security, strengthenwhereas there is no commercial scale exploitation ing the overall economy and increasing employment, competitiveness and innovativenessEU and the availability of reserves are as yet unproven;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the development of shale gas is not uncontroversial in the EU or worldwide, thereby necessitating a thorough examination of all the impacts (on the environment, public health and climate change) before developing this technology further;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Energy Roadmap 2050 indentifies that gas will be critical for the transformation of the energy system by helping to reduce emissions; whereas the Commission notes that shale gas and other UFF will become a veryunconventional gas sources have become potential important new sources of supply in or around Europe, but that it is impossible to anticipate to what extent shale gas in Europe will prove viable;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the two main techniques deployed in unleashing the UFF potential of shale gas and coal bed methane, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, have been used for decadesin combination for just a decade, and should not be mistaken for well stimulation techniques used for the extraction of conventional fossil fuels due to the combination of these two techniques and the scale of intervention involved;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the EU is committed to a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the share of renewable energy; whereas any decisions on exploitation of UFF should be seen in the context of the need to cut emissions;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that the European Commission has not yet formed a view on whether the current EU regulatory framework sufficiently covers the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, and so is undertaking the following studies: - DG ENVI study on the identification of risks and the appropriateness of current legislation and standards; - DG CLIMA study on GHG emissions from shale gas; - JRC study on whether the REACH exposure scenarios for a set of substances generally used in fracking fluids could be considered adequate for shale gas operations; - JRC study on the potential cumulative impacts on water and land-use; - JRC study on the effects of shale gas on EU energy markets;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Considers that once the Commission has finished their studies, MEPs should revisit the issue of hydraulic fracturing; urges Member States to be cautious in going further with shale gas until these studies are completed;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that, given the relative novelty of UFF to the general public, a thorough assessment should be conducted on the basis of the European regulatory framework once the Commission has completed its studies, and improvement measures taken, where necessary;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that prevailing expert opinion indicates that the inherent risks of UFF extraction, most of which are common to conventional fossil fuel extraction, couldUFF extraction, like conventional fossil fuel extraction, has inherent risks; these risks should not be underestimated and must be contained through pre-emptive measures, - including proper planning, testing, use of new technologies, best practices and continuous data collection, monitoring and reporting - within a robust regulatory framework;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. WelcomNotes the Commission's preliminary assessment on the EU environmental legal framework applicable to UFFhydraulic fracturing; urges the Commission to use its powers regarding proper transposition and application of key EU environmental acts in all Member States;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that proper regulation of UFF exploration and extraction - in full compliance with existing EU legislation - ultimately depends on the competence and resources of the relevant national authorities; calls on Member States, therefore, to ensure proper training and international exchange programmes for the staff of the competent national authorities and to establish a coordinating platform to oversee the UFF responsibilities of the various competentsufficient human and technical capacities for monitoring, inspection and enforcement of permitted activities, including proper training for the staff of the competent national authorities;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on those national authorities which have authorised UFF exploration to review existing state regulations on well construction for conventional fossil fuels and to update those provisions covering the specifics of UFF extraction;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Calls on the Commission to bring forward proposals to ensure Environmental Impact Assessment Directive provisions adequately cover the specificities of shale gas, shale oil, and coal bed methane exploration and extraction; insists that prior environmental impact assessment include full life cycle impacts on air quality, soil quality, water quality, geological stability, land use and noise pollution;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Notes that there is a risk of seismic tremors as demonstrated by shale gas exploration in the north-west of England; supports the recommendations of the UK Government commissioned report that operators be required to meet certain seismic and microseismic standards;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recognises the relativesignificantly high water volumes involved in hydraulic fracturing; points out, however, that such volumes are not as significant in comparison to the needs of other industrial activitiesacknowledges that requirements for water in shale gas extraction could put considerable pressure on water supplies at the local level given that water resources in many parts of Europe are already under pressure; highlights the need for advance water provision plans based on local hydrology;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that there should be a mandatory obligation to declarefully disclose the composition and concentrations of the chemical contents of fracturing fluid; maintains that full transparency and disclosure should be required of operators;and to make publicly available the REACH exposure scenarios and proposed risk reduction measures
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on those Member States who decide to develop shale gas or other unconventional fossil fuel reserves to send national plans to the Commission detailing how the exploitation of these reserves fits in with their national emission reduction targets under the EU Effort Sharing Decision;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Calls on the Commission to swiftly finalise their study on the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of shale gas extraction and production in order to correctly account for these emissions in the future;