End of the line for fracking
CONSERVATIONISTS have applauded last week’s Government announcement that it has suspended fracking in England ‘unless and until further evidence is provided that it can be carried out safely’. Tom Fyans of the CPRE calls it ‘a victory for the community and for effective campaigning. It’s great when the science, the politics and the communities all come together’.
The decision represents a significant change in policy, considering that, only a year ago, ministers were considering fast-tracking fracking through the planning system (COUNTRY LIFE, October 17, 2018). The trigger for the reversal was last week’s interim assessment by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), which stated that it could not exclude the possibility of larger, drilling-induced tremors, such as the one recorded in Preston, Lancashire, in August, which measured 2.9 on the Richter scale.
‘After reviewing the OGA’S report, it is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community,’ Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Andrea Leadsom declared. ‘For this reason, I have concluded that we should put a moratorium on fracking in England with immediate effect.’
The CPRE believes the suspension is a huge victory for the countryside, which ‘could not cope with industrialisation’ on the scale required by shale gas extraction. ‘Fracking has been a bit of a Damocles sword hanging over communities’ heads and that has now been lifted,’ says Mr Fyans. The move, adds Friends of the Earth’s Jamie Peters, is also a step forward in the fight against global warming: ‘A whole new fossil-fuel industry is the last thing we need.’ Some campaigners have expressed concerns that, with fracking proving unpopular among vast swathes of the countryside, the moratorium might be little more than an electoral ploy but, although it may fall short of an outright ban, says Mr Fyans, this still feels like ‘the final nail in the coffin. Investor confidence will be affected and it’s hard to see science changing. Yes, we’d like a complete ban, but fracking has been on the ropes for a while and this is now the knock-out blow. We will continue to be vigilant, but we’re pretty confident this is it’. CP