Germany Alone To Control Russian Gas Pipeline As France Caves, Plus More Energy News

Germany alone will decide whether to enforce EU law on its new gas pipeline with Russia after France caved in during last-minute talks on the issue. The legal regime to be imposed on the pipeline, called Nord Stream 2, will come from the “territory and territorial sea of the member state [Germany] where the first interconnection point is located”, EU diplomats agreed in Brussels on Friday (8 February). —EU Observer, 8 February 2019

Almost 50 geoscientists have urged the government to commission an urgent review of the fracking earthquake limit, which they suggest should be raised to allow the industry to expand. They say that the scientific rationale of the 0.5 magnitude limit before fracking must cease is debatable. They call for a “realistic regulatory framework”. —The Times, 9 February 2019

THE GOVERNMENT has been accused of killing the fracking revolution by forcing drilling firms to suspend work over tiny tremors. It comes after a group of 49 scientists urged ministers to urgently review the fracking earthquake limit. Current rules force fracking firms to stop drilling if tremors reach 0.5 on the Richter scale. —The Sun, 11 February 2019

India is looking to expedite discovery efforts to establish the country’s shale oil and gas potential and has asked companies to submit a plan, two industry sources said on Sunday. In late 2013, India gave rights to Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd to explore for shale oil and gas reserves. However, after years of exploratory reserves, it has failed to find significant resources. —Reuters, 10 February 2019

A 21st-century take on Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ Communist Manifesto was introduced in the form of a nonbinding resolution introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). The resolution effectively does nothing other than express the sense that Congress should pass a so-called “Green New Deal” whose wholly unattainable goals would almost certainly wreak havoc on the economy and drive the United States further into debt. —RealClearMarkets, 9 February 2019