SNP energy policy will cost Scotland jobs

Sir, - Emperors and clothes came to mind, as they evidently did for Mr Smith, (September 28) when he saw the gas flaring at Mossmorran amid the green hullabaloo about importing shale gas to supply Grangemouth.

The irony is not only that the plant is so environmentally backward that burning off tonnes of gas and dumping tonnes of pollutants into the atmosphere for weeks on end is a standard part of its operations, but that Mossmorran will receive US ethane from shale gas via the new import terminal at Ineos Grangemouth.

Worse than the Scottish Government’s fear of offending the sensibilities of a few noisy green stuntmen, is its complete lack of an industrial policy for Scotland.

Theresa May has made it a priority for the UK, and it is clear shale gas has a major role to play as a feedstock for the petrochemical industry and as a reliable, affordable source of home-grown energy.

With North Sea oil running out, Alex Salmond’s alternative, the Saudi Arabia of renewables, has only spawned thousands of wind turbines.

Unfortunately, wind energy has proved to be a flop, raising electricity prices, blighting the landscape and costing more jobs than it creates.

Apart from that, the SNP has been reactive and negative, blaming the country’s continuing industrial decline and job losses on Westminster and the union.

How many more factories and businesses have to close before the First Minister realises her magic independence wand is broken?

Hand-in-hand with developing a grown-up industrial policy, the SNP could try prioritising environmental damage which is occurring in its own backyard over scare stories about shale gas in the US.

The government agencies, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are starved of the power and resources to protect the environment in many instances

For 29 years, the Mossmorran plant has spewed out air, noise and light pollution.

In the frontline are communities of multiple deprivation like Lochgelly and Cowdenbeath, whose justified concerns about health impacts have been ignored.

Come to that, Friends of the Earth has been conspicuous by its absence in the areas, and issues, around Mossmorran. Are the people too poor?

Instead, agitators employed by Friends of the Earth frolick in the media and monster politicians to ban shale gas, hoping no one notices their energy policy will destroy thousands of jobs even more quickly than the SNP’s dithering.

Gas is flared at Mossmorran near Cowdenbeath.