Fracking court ruling joy for Stirling FoE
Stirling Friends of the Earth believe the recent Court of Session ruling raises the pressure for a legal ban on fracking in Scotland.
Scotland’s supreme civil court had refused INEOS and Reach CSG’s challenge against the Scottish Government’s‘effective ban’ on fracking.
Lord Pentland found in favour of the arguments put forward by the Scottish Government that its ‘preferred policy position’of no support for fracking announced by Ministers last year does not amount to a legally enforceable prohibition.
He further found that since a decision had not been made, INEOS’s claim for compensation on the basis of a breach of its human rights was premature.
Grangemouth operator INEOS had acquired exploration licences for over 700sq miles around the central belt of Scotland including the Stirling area.
Stirling Friends of the Earth coordinator Jon Preston said following the Court of Session ruling:“We are glad that INEOS and Reach CSG have lost their case against the Scottish government.”
“Out of 60,000 respondents to the consultation, 99 per cent said no to fracking, INEOS and Reach CSG should listen to the people and just go away.
“The Court of Session ruling greatly raises the pressure on the Scottish Government to legislate for a legal ban on fracking in Scotland.”
When the Scottish Government announced the indefinite‘effective ban’on fracking last year it was welcomed by FoE Stirling and Green MSP Mark Ruskell.
Mr Ruskell said this week: “This will be welcome relief for Stirling communities concerned that INEOS, with the wealthiest person in the UK at the helm (Jim Ratcliffe), was intending to overturn the democratic decision made by the Scottish Parliament.
“Scotland doesn’t want or need fracking and the scientific evidence against it is clear. The Scottish Government has some way to go before a legally watertight ban can be finally put in place, so expect the game of cat and mouse between the will of Parliament and INEOS to continue for some time.”
Following the court ruling, operations director INEOS Shale Tom Pickering said:“The Scottish Government caved in to demands from illinformed environmental activists.
“It ignored the evidence presented by its own scientific experts. [This] judgement makes it clear the SNP Government will now have to make decisions based on facts and science rather than prejudice and political expediency.”
Stirling Conservative MP Stephen Kerr has previously expressed support for fracking. He said last October: “Extracting gas in this way under the stringent regulatory requirements we have in this country has the potential to reduce fuel bills for millions of Scots, create hundreds of new jobs and secure the future of the INEOS plant in Grangemouth.
“Using Scottish gas rather than oil and gas from the Middle East and Russia is better for the climate as it does not need to travel thousands of miles.”