IVANO-FRANKIVSK, Aug. 28 – Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council Chairman Vasyl Skrypnychuk has said that fear of responsibility for possible negative environmental consequences after the extraction of shale gas prevents the majority of lawmakers from supporting a draft production sharing agreement (PSA) to be signed between Ukraine, Chevron Ukraine B.V. and Nadra Oleska on the Oleska area.

"One of the most important things that prevented the decision being taken is ecological fears… This fear of responsibility for possible environmental damage prevented the majority of lawmakers from voting for," he said.

Skrypnychuk said that the draft PSA "does not have any economic guarantees and there are many traps of a legal character." He said that the draft does not have any guarantees of the cabinet that 10% of the state share of shale gas extracted will be sent to the region to develop the infrastructure of settlements. He said that the lawmakers did not receive an answer to the question of who the shale gas extracted will belong to.