Authorities Hope Documentary on Shale will Soften Protests in Kashubia
The Government (voivodeship) of Poland's Pomerania (Pomorskie) province is to sponsor a documentary that will examine a process of hydraulic fracturing in hopes of answering a growing number of questions amongst officials and residents of local communities.
A planned information campaign also includes distributing FAQ brochures and organizing meetings of locals with a group of experts.
The representatives of the voivodeship marshal office said that the campaign should start in approximately two months.
Provincial officials suggested that almost two years after the first exploratory drilling in the Province started, it`s time for the central government in Warsaw to support local administration in its educational effort.
Some local commentators doubt that the printing of booklets and the the production of an educational movie will be useful in calming down fears over the activities of companies seeking shale gas in the regions.
The region includes the towns of Gdansk, Gdynia, Slupsk and Wejherowo. However, it is the rural inhabitants of Pomerania and in particular the central part of the province known as Kashubia, home to the ethnically distinct Kashubian people, who are increasingly concerned with the potential effects of fracturing on environment.
In several cases, serious disagreements erupted during meetings held by shale gas explorers with locals.
Shale gas sceptics also point to the growing discontent with regulation that keep decisions and possible profits out of reach of local communities.
Last autumn locals blocked the access of seismic vehicles in the villages of Suleczyno and Stezyca. A complaint to the Ministry of Environment accussed a contractor of trespassing onto private property.
Gazeta Wyborcza reported that according to the legal experts in the Regional Directoriate for Environmental Protection, agreements provided to local proprty holders had been unfair, i.e including damage clauses unfavorable for farmers.
Provincial authorities hope to prepare a special guidance for the emerging industry including a code of good practice.
At the same time protest leaders in some of the communities are mobilizing local public opinion and getting help from abroad.
Elisabelle Bourgue from the organization “No Fracking France” visited Kashubia last week to encourage people in region of Pomerania to protest against shale gas exploration and production projects in the country.
Although the Kashubians base their concern upon their agricultural lifesyle and independent nature, another factor at play are the views of recreational/holiday home owners and retired people, who moved from the cities to the seaside and lakes areas, seeking silence and nature.