In American political discussions on shale gas, hydraulic fracking, and the controversial Keystone pipeline, there has been surprisingly little discussions about what fracking can do for the world.  Most discussions has tended to discuss about what it can do for the United States and the United States alone, whether it is positive claims of energy independence or more negative concerns about the possible environmental risks.  Last week, the Energy Information Administration reported that American crude oil production has reached its highest levels since 1989, and noted continued oil production in growth in many of the key fracking areas in the US such as Eagle Ford in Texas and Bakken in North Dakota.

But what about fracking elsewhere in the world?  For it is not just America which carries large reserves of natural gas.  In Poland, for example, it is estimated that there could be as much as 1.9 trillion cubic meters of shale gas in the country, and even more conservative estimates believes that there is enough to power the country for at least 35 years, and almost certainly more.  In Britain, a December 2013 survey by the British Geological Survey estimated that in one area of the country, the Bowland Shale area, there was estimated to be 37.6 trillion cubic meters of shale gas in the country.  Such a windfall of gas could almost make Britain energy independent for at least the next 50 years, if not longer.  Environmental concerns have delayed the process, as fracking is banned in France and while it takes a week to get permission to frack for oil and gas in Texas, it can take 6 months in Britain, thus creating an unacceptable burden for energy companies. Yet in January 2014, a Dublin-based natural gas company successfully tested for shale gas in Poland, and Europe has now taken a newfound interest in fracking courtesy of the recent developments in the Ukraine.

This newfound interest is not the result of some newfound shale field discovered in the country – instead, it is due to the fact that Europe has finally woken up from its stupor in the face of Russian aggression and has come to realize that it would be wise to find a quick and viable alternative to importing natural gas from Vladimir Putin.  The European Parliament last week passed energy legislation which hurt additional efforts to find oil and natural gas, but exempted shale gas from these new regulations.  Meanwhile, American lobbyists have called for America not just to export shale gas across the world, but for America to send its fracking experts to Europe to assist in such projects in the name of helping the nations of Europe against Russia.

Fracking is without a doubt a significant economic boom, as it has almost singlehandedly kept the United States from falling back into another recession.  Europe, with its stagnant economy and demographics, would be greatly assisted by obtaining a new source of energy which would improve job growth and also develop its energy independence so that it would not need to depend on countries who are inimical to its interest.