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2.3.1.3 Seismicity
The risk of seismicity is according to the environmental impact assessment, made by the
Commission, not particularly great, but when it comes to the public's opinion this concern is ranked
high. Earth tremors might happen during the process of fracking and the injection under high
pressure. Minor earth tremors have already occurred in the United Kingdom (by wells of Cuadrilla
Resources) 63 and in North America, Ohio. It is often argued that earth tremors are not specific for
shale gas projects. They e.g. also occur during geothermal activities. According to the experts,
there is not a high risk of seismicity particular to shale gas activities. 64 However, this does not
eliminate the risks and dangers of seismicity. In the Netherlands, this fear is also considered high,
partly due to the recent earthquakes in Groningen, caused by natural gas extraction.
2.3.2 Local impacts
Shale gas activities require wide areas for its extraction, in contrast to conventional resources. The
concessions granted in several MS differ now from 300 km2 in the Netherlands to 2900 km2 in
Denmark, with special attention to a concession in Poland of 87000 km2. 65 For the extraction of the
shale gas, several wells and infrastructure are needed. This will also result in a lot of road traffic. 66
After all, the resources, materials and waste should be transported to and from the site. Road
traffic also means air pollution, noise disturbance and accidents. This could moreover lead to "land
fragmentation, land take (land being turned into an artificial surface, AV) and disturbance to
biodiversity." 67 In the U.K. it was estimated that the extraction of shale gas could lead to 7.000-
11.000 truck visits for the development of 10 wells. This would have an enormous impact on the
road network surrounding the well-pad. 68
2.3.3 Transparency and public consultation
Shale gas extraction also suffers from problems by the acceptance of the public. Besides the fact
that the public is afraid of the mentioned environmental concerns (previous paragraph) and the lack
of regulatory framework (next chapter), it is also concerned about the level of precaution,
transparency and consultation of the shale gas projects. 69 This appeared from the Commission'
consultation (held between 20 December 2012 and 23 March 2013). 70 Here, the public points out
the lack of information with regard to the composition of fracturing fluids and geological
conditions. 71 Often it is even the case that this information is kept secret.
This lack of public trust is a problem for the development of shale gas activities. Due to (still
unresolved) concerns, citizens oppose and protest against the activities, especially when the
activities will be explored near their homes ('not in my backyard'-effect). This could slow down the
process of shale gas extraction or prevent the project in its totality, as is already shown by several
imposed moratoria in multiple MS 72 and even legal bans in France and Bulgaria. 73 Hence, it is of
great importance that all these public concerns are addressed. This will stimulate their acceptance.
This is also stressed by the Committee of the Regions who advocates for "mandatory
implementation of wide range of effective participatory planning tools and method before
63
IEA Golden Rules Report (2012), p. 26.
64
Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment (2014), part 1/4, p. 26.
65
Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment (2014), part 1/4, p. 26.
66
Commission Communication (2014), p. 6.
67
Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment (2014), part 1/4, p. 26.
68
Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment (2014), part 4/4, p. 8.
69
Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment (2014), part 1/4, p. 32.
70
European Commission DG Environment, Final report: Analysis and presentation of the results of the public consultation
"Unconventional fossil fuels (e.g. shale gas) in Europe", 3 October 2013.
71
Commission Communication (2014), p. 6.
72
Including the United Kingdom (although lifted as of December 2012), the Netherlands, states in Germany, parts of Spain,
Romania (also lifted in December 2012) and Denmark.
73
Fleming (2013),pp. 12-32.
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