France became the first country in the world to ban the production of shale gasthrough the so-called hydraulic fracturing, lawmakers give the final vote on new piece of legislation. In hydraulic fracturing, liquid chemicals are injected under high pressure into the ground to let out gas dissolved in a special type of rock known as shale, in order fornatural gas to be extracted, Late on Thursday, a majority of 176 French lawmakers voted in favor of banning the method of extraction of natural gas out of environmental concerns after large-scale protests of residents of areas with already issued permits for exploration. A total of 151 were against. Read More