DutchNews: Protesters gear up for anti-shale gas campaign, Boxtel leads the way

People living in the Brabant town of Boxtel, earmarked as a test site for shale gas extraction, are planning to take their protest to The Hague, Nos television reports.

Locals are angry the government is planning to sanction test drilling before deciding on the value and economic benefits of shale gas and worry about the impact of the project on the local environment - particularly the risk of earthquakes.

Local water board Brabant Water has already said it will carry out its own research into the effect of extracting shale gas on drinking water. The government's report published on Monday is inadequate and does not look at the potential risks for water supplies, the company is quoted as saying by Nos.  MORE