Labour set to bring Bill to ban fracking in Scotland
Labour is poised to bring forward a bill aimed at banning fracking in Scotland.
The Scottish Government introduced a moratorium barring the controversial method of extracting gas in January 2015 but ministers have still to decide if this should be made permanent. Labour environment spokeswoman Claudia Beamish is set to press ahead with a Member’s Bill that would outlaw it. She said: “The SNP has repeatedly failed to ban onshore fracking in Scotland – so Labour will do it.”
Ms Beamish added: “The climate science is irrefutable. Scotland does not need a new fossil fuel as we shift towards a low carbon economy. People across Scotland are also rightly concerned about the potential health implications of unconventional oil and gas extraction.”
In June 2016, MSPS at Holyrood voted in favour of a Labour motion calling for an outright ban on fracking. energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said at the time that the vote would“not deflect government” from its current policy, which is to maintain the moratorium until it has canvassed expert and public opinion.