Fracking: Labour delivers ultimatum to Coalition Government
Snouts in the trough: Martin Rowson’s Guardian cartoon goes straight to the heart of the matter – fracking isn’t about ending the energy crisis, or even extracting shale gas in a reasonable way; it is about GREED.
Labour has tabled a legislative amendment to prevent fracking in the UK unless 13 outstanding loopholes in the regulation are closed.
The party first set out its conditions for fracking to take place in March 2012, but says the Government has repeatedly sidelined genuine and legitimate concerns, ignoring gaps in the regulatory framework.
“David Cameron has repeatedly ignored people’s genuine and legitimate environmental concerns over shale gas,” said shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint.
“Despite clear evidence that existing regulations for shale gas are not fit for purpose, the Government seems prepared to push ahead with fracking at any cost.
“While eight out of 10 homes still rely on gas for heating, shale gas may have a role to play in displacing some of the gas we currently import and improving our energy security. But that potential benefit cannot come at the expense of robust environmental protections or our climate change commitments.”
Tom Greatrex MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy Minister, added: “Labour have always said that shale gas extraction cannot go ahead unless there is a system of robust regulation and comprehensive inspection.
“The Tories have belatedly acknowledged that the current regulations are inadequate, conceding to Labour pressure for reform on a small number of issues. But these piecemeal concessions cannot overturn a Tory mindset which is zealously opposed to any further regulation of shale gas in the UK, despite clear evidence that this is necessary.
“There are significant concerns about independent inspection of well-integrity, fugitive emissions and protections for national parks. Labour will force a vote on Monday to prevent shale gas developments in the UK unless these loopholes are closed.”
The message is clear: Unless these dangerous loopholes are closed, Labour wants all plans for fracking in the UK to be abandoned.
This may not be as much as many anti-fracking campaigners wanted, but it is much more than the Coalition Government has offered – and offers a suggestion that Labour may move still further away from any support for the controversial mining method in the future.
Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
following the debate on controversial industrial developments.
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
i don’t understand a great deal about this and i also don’t know if my own area is one of those designated for this. but here in Yorkshire, plus Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire among other places like Wales, where we already suffer subsidence through pit tunnels going under our homes and other buildings wouldn’t it be rather foolish to do this fracking in those places??on top of all the other no no’s and reasons against it?
Does anyone else remember that before caMoron got into power he said publicly that he regarded Lobbying as the most important issue facing Parliamentary Democracy? What I did not realise that he meant that Lobbying was crucial for getting far more donations into Tory Party coffers, far more career and income opportunities given to Tory MPs by those Lobbying.
The bit about “Parliamentary Democracy” I assumed meant for the GOOD of democracy and UK as a whole, little did I know that he meant the exact opposite of what his sly words seemed to mean, which really is: “it is important that parliamentary democracy is trampled over in favour of awarding as many contracts as possible to mostly foreign private companies so that us greedy tory pigs get even more pigswill”.
To sweeten the pill further, ‘Moron ensures that none of these lovely foreign corprations have to bother with silly old tax bills……oh, and some of what they save on tax….gets donated to the Greedy Piggy Party. Corruption at its very worst.
If the case against fracking was not strong enough already.
Opponents and the curious may be interested to read this….
http://www.seismosoc.org/society/press_releases/BSSA_105-1_Skoumal_et_al_Press_Release.pdf
It seems labour is listening a bit but haven’t they heard that most dont want it as of the pollution and earthquake problems no no no to frackin unless you want to buy your bottled water from that nice ceo of nestles who started we have no right to clean water hum jeff3
This is a useful extension of the Gordon Brown tactics on the euro. You don’t say you’re against it, just make the argument and the standards needed to reach the entry point very difficult (read costly) and watch the whole thing slip away.
Good policy. Well devised strategy. Now we need them to also oppose current proposals to be able to tunnel/mine/ frack under our homes. And renationalise the railways, oh and the utilities too, er, build loads of homes for the rental sector (public of course). Then the election will be a walk-over.
Well… they DO have a plan to renationalise the railways; they ARE considering taking the utilities back into the public domain and they DO intend to build loads of homes.