France’s Ile-de-France Region Confirms Opposition to Fracking

French politicians reiterated their opposition to shale gas developments in the country, with the President of the regional council for Ile-de-France Jean-Paul Huchon saying that his office will do everything in its power to “defeat” fracking in every shale basins in the Paris area.

"You can be assured of our determination to use all legal and political levers to defeat hydraulic fracturing. Oil companies on this subject will find us in their path,” Huchon said as reported by lagezette.fr. 

Huchon added that he will write to Ségolène Royal, French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.

The French newspaper spoke about 6 licences (Cezy, Seine-et-Marne, Dicy Yonne, Boissy, Auvernaux), referring to 2 companies - Bluebach Resources and Realm Energy International. 

In October, a survey by pollsters BVA for the journal 20 Minutes found that 62% of French citizens are hostile to shale gas operations.