Opponents are winning the Dutch shale gas war

DutchNews.nl, Tuesday 02 April 2013

Support for extracting shale gas from under the Netherlands is fading and an increasing number of local councils are taking a stand, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Tuesday.

So far, 33 of the country’s 400 local authority areas have declared they are opposed to shale gas extraction, the paper says. Some 170 councils are thought to be sitting on shale or coal gas reserves.

The Netherlands’ shale gas reserves could run into billions of euros but it is unclear if the gas will ever be extracted because of the well-organised opposition, the paper says. In addition, national politicians are staying out of the debate, pending the results of a major report into shale gas extraction.

Controversy

Shale gas is ordinary natural gas that has been trapped in dense shale beds. It is extracted using a controversial process known as fracking, which involves drilling a hole deep into the shale and pumping in water mixed with sand and chemicals. This opens up tiny fissures in the rock allowing the gas to escape where it can be captured. The technique is controversial because of the risk to underground water supplies and surface pollution from the water and chemical mix.

‘We want to develop as an energy location but only if it is sustainable, and not through fossil fuels and absolutely through unconventional gas sources,’ Adries Poppe, from the Noordoostpolder council told the paper.

The paper points out that national government can still overturn local council objections and press ahead with shale gas extraction.

For example, it forced through the construction of a huge wind farm near Urk and was prepared to do the same on plans to store CO2 underground near Barendrecht, before doing a u-turn in the face of massive local opposition.

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"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version) 

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much….”

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