Noordoostpolder declares itself shale gas free

Noordoostpolder declared itself shale gas free on Monday evening.The municipality will not give permission for a planned exploratory drilling, says a widely supported city council motion.

Noordoostpolder is one of three proposed locations for test drilling for shale gas. The British company Cuadrilla chose locations in the villages Luttelgeest and Marknesse.

The CDA in the Noordoostpolder signed the motion because studies contradict each other about the risks. Currently there is  insufficient clarity, according to Henk Suelmann, leader of the largest party in the city council.

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Boxtel and Haaren in Noord-Brabant are also on the list for test drilling. They declared themselves shale gas free earlier. In total, about 60 municipalities have so far declared themselves shale gas free.