Scandalous conference of the pro-shale gas lobby

Bulgarian society has TO and IS ENTITLED to know that:

1. The conference was in full blackout. It was not disclosed anywhere
publicly, nor in the official website of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences,
where all event organised by the Academy find place. The question is why?

2. There was a deeply tendentious and selective representativeness of the
delegates. From the selected were representatives of the U.S. Embassy, MPs
and scientists known for their positive attitude towards fracking, but the
event was not attended by scientists defending the opposite view. There
were no representatives and civil movements with different standpoint of
those lobbying for the implementation of fracking in our country.

3. The conference was viciously one-sided. In contrast to the high
scientific standards for which BAS is famed for, the conference did not
provide different perspectives on the shale gas issue and was obsessed by
exclusively one-sided interpretations of the potential for development of
the oil and gas industry in the country, with only a single speaker to be
allowed to talk about the risks of the application of fracking technology.
Again, we ask why?

4. Markedly non-transparent financing. It is disturbing that obscure
institutions (the organisers and sponsors of the event were not mentioned
in the programme) organised anonymously a conference that is comfortably
dressed in the prestige and scientific impartiality of the hosts of BAS.

5. The conference produced a huge scandal! As the general opinion of the
conference on the problems of fracking was declared as a legitimate opinion
of BAS! With this the whole institution is compromised! Corporate lobbies
use the status of the most representative scientific institution in the
country to push their interests and produce missives and documents. For
example, as such is the standpoint for the existing ban on hydraulic
fracturing in our country to be repealed. Also, a request for state funding
of the working group on the topic.



For all the above reasons, on November 8, 2013 a interpellation to the BAS
will be submitted whether the internal regulations of the institution for
holding the event are kept, do the direction of BAS even know about this
lobbying conference and how do they treat linking BAS’ name, reputation and
scientific expertise with the standpoint voted on this conference.