The United Stares is not the only country with shale gas reserves. According to a 20] 1 report prepared by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Europe, most or which is beholden to Russia for its natural gas supplies, has perhaps 600 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas reserves. In comparison, that same report estimated US shale gas reserves at 862 trillion cubic feet. Of the 14 conn-cries the EIA report evaluated. Poland and France have the lamest estimated reserves bv far, at 187 tril-lion cubic feet and 180 trillion cubic feet, respectively. Given much of Central and Eastern Europe's historic dependence on Russia for its natural gas supplies, a. country that has literally turned off the spigot in the past for political reasons, Europe's shaie gas bounty ought to be a cause celebre. Alas, a combination of factors, including the same environmentalist fear-mongering that has colored debates over shale gas in the United States, is slowing down shale gas development in Europe.
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