The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Anger at shale shipment to prop up power plant
The first shipment of US shale to Scotland has been branded an “unacceptable" way to prop up the Grangemouth plant near Falkirk.
Friends of the Earth also criticised the Ineos collaboration with Range Resources after it was fined for environmental pollution in America.
The group’s head of campaigns, Mary Church, said: “To pursue a future for the Ineos plant based on the consumption of ever more fossil fuels is utterly irresponsible in the context of what we know about the devastating impacts of climate change.
“If Jim Ratcliffe was really concerned about the future of the Grangemouth plant and its workers he would be planning for its transition to a lowcarbon model.
“We urge the Scottish Government to act swiftly to ban fracking and start planning seriously for a fair transition to a lowcarbon economy across all sectors.
“Fracking should not happen here in Scotland, and our country should not profit from it happening anywhere else.”
Earlier this week Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn revealed his party would ban fracking if elected.
The Scottish Government has a moratorium on fracking.
Following the first delivery of ethane, the Scottish Conservatives said the SNP should abandon its “infantile" objection to shale gas extraction.
Shadow finance secretary Murdo Fraser said: “The arrival of the first shale shipment is extremely welcome news for Scotland’s economy.
“It guarantees jobs at a major employer, and helps showcase to the world that Scotland can become a centre for shale refinery.
“However, all this potential will be wasted if the SNP continues its infantile objection to fracking.
“There is a startlingly blatant hypocrisy in the Scottish Government welcoming the arrival of shale, yet ruling Scotland out of ever generating its own.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said it would continue to support Grangemouth and said the results of its investigation into fracking could be expected next year.
“Start planning seriously for a fair transition to a low-carbon economy”