Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that I have met and will continue to meet any group or agency that wishes to discuss with me their concerns about fracking, regardless of whether they are from County Leitrim, Pennsylvania, Colorado or wherever. My door is open and my job is to listen and to learn. To be specific however, the proposed EPA study will include consideration of the regulatory approaches of other countries that have extensive experience with unconventional gas exploration. This study will examine all of that and the best environmental practice for unconventional gas exploration and extraction projects will entail using the most effective techniques in achieving a high general level of protection of the environment and human health as a whole by demonstrating strict adherence with all relevant environmental legislation. In this regard, the programme will take an overview of the European Union environmental legislation applicable to unconventional gas exploration and this will include legislation that relates to all aspects of unconventional gas exploration. It will examine detailed information on the regulatory approaches of other countries that have extensive experience of this activity. This will include, where possible, a review of case studies where unconventional gas exploration and extraction covered more than two jurisdictions, that is, where transboundary activities would occur. Moreover, a minimum of five countries will be examined, including at least two within the European Union and at least one country in which a moratorium on unconventional gas has been introduced.

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