MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) – Venezuela’s socialist president Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused the US of causing serious damage to the entire planet by using hydraulic fracturing to produce oil.
"Venezuela condemns this savage oil production method that destroys our planet," Maduro said during a meeting of the federal council of the Venezuelan government.
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is an oil extraction technique where rock is fractured by a hydraulically pressurized liquid containing secret chemicals and sand. In the United States, the technique has been commonly used to extract shale gas, tight gas, tight oil and coal seam gas.
Fracking is highly controversial and is under international scrutiny and has even been banned in some countries due to its environmental impact. It supposedly contaminates ground water, depletes fresh water, degrades air quality, can trigger earthquakes and causes collateral health risks.
Earlier this month, Maduro blamed the US for the recent decline in global oil prices.
According to the president, Washington oversupplies – in his words, "inundates" – the market with cheaper shale oil to bring down prices to punish Russia and other oil-producing nations.
"The US and its allies want to affect oil prices to harm Russia, which produces around 10 million barrels per day," Maduro said as quoted by the Xinhua news agency.
