WASHINGTON, October 3 (RIA Novosti) — As more countries look at the possibility of developing their natural gas resources, the United States should not be held up as a model for the hydraulic fracturing, according to both Chris Faulkner, CEO of Breitling Energy and Amy Hall of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"I do think that the United States should not be held up as a model for regulation of this industry," Hall told RIA Novosti at a Thursday discussion of fracking at John's Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
"There are stronger rules that would be needed before that could happen," an environment expert added.
Coming from a business perspective, Faulkner stated that while he believes the industry is sufficiently regulated in the United States, as other countries take up the practice, the US should not take try to set international standards.
"I don't know that the US has the right model or the correct model for [other countries]," energy expert claimed.
"I wouldn't argue that we should be the person who hands regulation on a platter. But I would argue that after drilling a million wells, you don't have this environmental wasteland one might paint the picture you have," said Faulkner.
According to recent data by Frack Tracker, the US has over 1.1 active fracking wells. Currently the regulation of the industry is done at the state level and varies greatly across the country. Some states, like California and New York have attempted to ban fracking because of environmental concerns, concerns about water resources, and seismic concerns.
In Europe, there are a number of countries including Bulgaria, Poland, and the Netherlands, who are engaged in fracking, though regulations are generally stronger than in the US.
