Bulgaria, which is almost totally dependent on Russian gas supplies, has banned Chevron Corp. from using hydraulic fracturing techniques to get at natural gas.
The Bulgarian parliament is expected to ban all hydraulic fracturing in Bulgaria and its Black Sea territorial waters on Wednesday.
The technique, developed and used in the United States, involves fracturing rock that holds gas formations by using a cocktail of chemicals and water under high pressure. It has run into opposition at home as well, with fears that the practice can contaminate water supplies and do other damage.
Using the technique has been difficult to resist. So-called “fracking” has released so much natural gas in the U.S., it has the potential to shift the nation’s energy policy.
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