Shale gas popularity rising but experts remain divided

The new US shale phenomenon is tied to favorable legislation on excavation permits, isolated and uninhabited areas and the growth of small, "technology-savvy" energy companies, according to Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform. … Barysch also said European experience with shale gas could not be compared to the US due to long-term contracts between Gazprom, the main Russian gas exporter, and several EU member states. "We can't sell it because Poland is locked into long-term contacts with Gazprom, so companies who are drilling holes across Europe have become more cautious," she told the Daily News.