Government Legalises Demise Of National Parks By Fracking

Britain’s treasured national parks could become drilling sites in a recent move by the government to open them up to fracking by big oil and gas companies. It’s part of a wider government plan inviting companies to apply for licenses to drill for oil and gas all across the UK -- and about half the country is up for grabs.

The current process to get a licence to drill in the UK is long and relatively robust, but Minister for Energy Matthew Hancock wants to speed up the process so companies can start drilling with six months of making an application.
And we all know what that means: cut corners and bad decisions.

Unfortunately, once our national parks have been desecrated by fracking, there’s no coming back.

Earlier this month, 10th August, the issue became more urgent with the Independent newspaper reporting that Yorkshire's North Moors are now the subject of fracking by a major oil company searching for gas:

'Environmental campaigners fear an oil company's plan to drill for gas in one of Britain's national parks is a stalking horse for a future bid to carry out fracking in the area.

Third Energy, backed by banking giant Barclays, is set to begin working Ebberston Moor in the North York Moors after winning permission to get rid of a vast amount of potentially radioactive waste water – that will come up with the gas – by pumping it back into the ground.

According to documents seen by The Independent on Sunday, the Environment Agency (EA) has been warned that public water supplies could be affected. Yorkshire Water is concerned about the re-injection well which will travel through the rock from which they draw water, called the Corallian limestone aquifer. In submissions to the EA the water company said the water re-injection may "directly affect their asset".'

Campaign group, the Sum of Us have recently issued this email regarding fracking to all it's supporters:

'Fracking is an especially destructive form of oil and gas drilling -- it uses a technique of breaking up rock to get to oil or gas supplies, and there are serious environmental concerns. Ground water can be contaminated by the gases and toxic chemicals used in the fracking process. And waste from the fracking process is commonly mishandled.

The big losers of the fracking process are us: our health is at risk, while the big oil companies take the profits.

The government is defending its decision by saying that people living in or around national parks will be protected by tougher rules for fracking. But at the same time, it has removed the ability for millions of homeowners to stop companies from drilling directly under their properties.

An outright ban would protect our national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in Britain.

The government is touting the potential temporary benefits of a new oil or gas discovery. But is the potential permanent loss of our natural beauty really worth it?

When fracking company Cuadrilla started drilling in Blackpool in 2011, it caused not one, but two minor earthquakes.'

Meanwhile, the Independent's news article goes further:

'Environmentalists fear the permission sets a precedent for future fracking applications. Fracking involves forcing liquid into the ground to split rocks and release the gas trapped within. A key fracking fear is the amount of water used and the potential for contaminating drinking water supplies. The North York Moors – famous for stunning moorland, and historic sites such as England's oldest Christian monument, Lilla Cross on Lilla Howe – are said to be rich in shale gas, which can only be extracted by fracking.

Russell Scott, of Frack Free Yorkshire, said: "Third Energy intends to inject via mechanical means a total of 5.88 million cubic metres of waste over a nine-year period. Third Energy's suggestion this process will not have any negative impacts on the integrity of the well casing protecting our drinking water from the injected waste is simply ridiculous." '

So what can you do? Well, there is an online petition against fracking in our National Parks which you can sign here

Source: Sum of Us / The Independent / Friends Of The Earth / Unionsafety

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