German environment minister says he wants to ‘limit the use of fracking’

Germany to tighten fracking legislation

Germany’s environment minister has ruled out the possibility of fracking technology being used to extract shale gas and oil any time soon, after announcing regulations will be tightened on the controversial method of extraction.

German environment minister Peter Althaus said on Monday that the German government is seeking to close legislative loopholes surrounding the use of hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking).

“The message is that we aim to limit the use of fracking rather than facilitating it,” he told public radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

Altmaier said the plan is to impose a blanket ban on fracking in drinking water drainage areas, and to oblige companies to carry out environmental impact assessments before seeking a drilling license.