Saturday 17 November 2012

Dirty money and disinformation........

We forgot to add that the sheer volume of pro-gas propaganda now being funneled via the French popular press is little short of obscene. To gain an insight simply enter 'Gaz de Schiste' in your Google.fr search box or in Google Actualities.

Friday 16 November 2012

Hollande bursting to proceed............?

Whilst we have acknowledged the courageous step taken by President Hollande on 15th September to announce the annulation of the 7 existing permis applications we note that although we have sight of the official orders signed by ministers NOTHING has yet appeared in the JORF ( Journal Officiel Republique Fracaise ). The cancellations are therefore not yet definitive in law.

Holland has repeatedly said that there 'will be no fracking by hydraulique methods during his five years but that he remains open to other methods of exploitation if they can be found'. However,we consider that although the Commission of Enquiry, set to report at the end of 2013 ( when a parliamentary vote will be taken on their findings ) will do it's very best to come up with some other method and in any case, with the possible return of a UMP government in 2017 the problem could start all over again.

The simple fact is that although exploitation may assist the unemployment figures marginally by creating thousands of temporary and very unhealthy jobs and create a degree of energy independence for France, Natural Gas is by no means a panacea and not likely to be the saviour of the French economy as has recently been suggested by the likes of Claude Allègre and Louis Gallois.

The fact remains that landscape will be desecrated, tourism decimated and  communities disrupted ( hundreds of truck movements in and out on minor rural roads ) as derricks and worse appear in highly inappropriate locations - whatever process is eventually deployed.

Simply a matter of time and especially in the light of the millions of Euros currently being pumped into Brussels by industry lobbyists. Nonetheless, we think that in the final analysis, 'les petroliers'' will not find France to be the most amenable of operating theatres.

Simply a matter of time.