Category: Political Issues

Shale Bonanza or Damp Squib for the UK? Part 2

Shale Bonanza or Damp Squib for the UK? Part 2

Alan Tootill continues to examine what shale gas holds for our future 5. Cuadrilla’s ambition in PEDL165 (Fylde and West Lancs) In 2011 Cuadrilla estimated there was 200 tcf in their PEDL “patch”. If that is true, how much will they extract? Cuadrilla boss Francis Egan recently talked about 100...

Sick and Tired

Sick and Tired

I am sick and bloody tired of being labelled an “environmentalist”. According to every news report I heard or read yesterday the only people questioning fracking are “environmentalists”. I do care about my environment, and this business is making me look a lot more than I used to at the...

Good news on planning

Good news on planning

The government’s consultation on the Growth & Infrastructure Bill was published today and includes this After considering the responses received and comments made during the passage of the Growth and Infrastructure Act, the Government has concluded that applications for planning permission for onshore oil and gas schemes, including any future...

Why Cuadrilla really stopped work in Lancashire 2 months ago

Why Cuadrilla really stopped work in Lancashire 2 months ago

Two months ago we posed the question of why Cuadrilla were claiming to be voluntarily delaying their drilling at Anna’s Road Now, they had been waiting rather impatiently for nearly 2 years for the unofficial ban on fracking to be lifted. They messed up their drilling at Anna’s road and...

Oh Canada!

Oh Canada!

What, you may ask has what happens in Canada got to do with fracking on the Fylde? Well the EU is considering a draft Canada-EU Trade Agreement treaty which would “establish a fair and equitable treatment” obligation that outlaws any “breach of legitimate expectations of investors”. In practice this means...

Bribery – a bad misjudgement by the government

Bribery – a bad misjudgement by the government

It’s fairly obvious that the proposed offer of community bribes wouldn’t be necessary if what was being proposed with fracking wasn’t a bad thing for the area. However, we think that the government may have miscalculated very badly in making it clear that they think they can buy off any...

Ignorance is bliss – at least where our potential councillors are concerned

Ignorance is bliss – at least where our potential councillors are concerned

Yesterday we attended the event hosted by Frack Free Fylde at which prospective Lancashire County Councillors from Lytham were quizzed about fracking and their views on it by local people. Well we say their “views”, but what was depressing and revealing was the lack of interest that most of them...