Category: Information Level – Medium

So what did the government NOT want you know about the impacts of fracking?

So what did the government NOT want you know about the impacts of fracking?

The Report on The Shale Gas Rural Economy impacts was published in heavily redacted form, generating a storm of protest in March 2014. Over a year later, and coincidentally just after the LCC decisions on Cuadrilla’s two development site applications, on July 1st 2015, the full report was finally published....

Another hilarious lesson in why you should pick your advocates carefully

Another hilarious lesson in why you should pick your advocates carefully

Well the pro-frackers are treating us to a succession of “car-crash” interviews of late aren’t they? Last week it was The Rambling Reverend scaremongering about imminent blackouts if we don’t get fracking underway (ignoring the slight logical problem that an industry which wouldn’t in any circumstances be able to contribute...

The Infrastructure Bill debate

The Infrastructure Bill debate

So what happened yesterday? Well first of all we were treated to a report from the Commons Environmental Audit Committee. This hard-hitting report was hugely critical of fracking. It made it abundantly clear that fracking was incompatible with the UK’s obligations towards climate change mitigation. The full text of its...

A hilarious lesson in why you should pick your advocates carefully

A hilarious lesson in why you should pick your advocates carefully

On Thursday 22nd January Lancashire County Council announced that it’s officers had recommended rejection of Cuadrilla’s 2 applications for development wells in Roseacre and Preston New Road. Local media went into something of a frenzy getting reactions from Cuadrilla and from the various anti-fracking groups. In the interests of balance...

The FT refutes the IOD job predictions citing new evidence from AMEC

The FT refutes the IOD job predictions citing new evidence from AMEC

A while back we published a critique of the Institute of Directors predictions that fracking would result in 74,000 jobs. https://www.refracktion.org/index.php/dan-byles-and-the-74000-jobs-joke/ We argued that the basis of the calculations was childishly simplistic, and we asked how an MP like Dan Byles could put his name to supporting them. We were...

The BBC – Fracking Rubbish

The BBC – Fracking Rubbish

Today the BBC put out a programme on Radio 4 – Inside Science – which claimed to get inside the science of fracking. It was terrible. Sloppy journalism and bad science. The list of badly reported programmes on fracking is long and ignoble – Iain Stewart’s Horizon programme springs to...

You’d think you could trust the Royal Society

You’d think you could trust the Royal Society

Of all the scientific institutions which grace our land you’d think that the Royal Society would set a standard for academic rigour which would be unimpeachable. Cuadrilla would like you to believe so. They set great store by the Royal Society’s Report “Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review...

Could this kill off UK fracking?

Could this kill off UK fracking?

Horizontal wells – the implications for landowners. How much it will be worth for farmers to lease their land for fracking is still an unknown in the UK, but it’s clearer what will happen for landowners whose acreage is undermined by horizontal wells. If the frackers are crafty and never...