SET Times: Romania's shale gas debates move to blogs
As Romania's government hails the economic and political benefits of shale gas extraction environmentalists embarked on a campaign warning about pollution risks.
"It is very good for Romania to finally become energetically independent," Prime Minister Victor Ponta said last month. "Romania now depends on gas imports from Russia. Gas prices pose a big problem both for the population and, first of all, the industry," he said, adding that all the shale gas explorations will observe strict environmental rules.
Ponta said that due to the shale gas reserves and new gas and oil deposits discovered in the Black Sea, Romania could become energy independent in five years.
Environmentalists and some politicians reject Ponta's calculations.