The British economy could get a new lifeline by tapping into domestic resources of shale natural gas, the British secretary for energy said Thursday. “Shale gas development is of national importance,” Greg Clark, the British secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, said in a note to Parliament. The British government estimates shale basins in the country may hold more than 1.3 quadrillion cubic feet of natural gas, a level the government said could help an economy as natural gas imports are on pace to increase from about 45 percent of demand to 76 percent by 2030. Though efficiency has helped revive a North Sea energy sector faced with maturation concerns, the British economy still depends on foreign supplies. Imports are on pace to account […]