1-6 of 6 results for subject:Fracking
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My Lords, more than a million shale wells have been drilled in North America and elsewhere. There is no record of a single building having been shaken down by the occasional microtremors, nor of a single person being poisoned by allegedly contaminated aquifers. Is not the scaremongering of the anti-frackers as bad as that of the anti-vaxxers? Should it not be treated similarly?
My Lords, more than a million shale wells have been drilled in North America and elsewhere. There is no record of a single building having been shaken down by the occasional microtremors, nor of a single person being poisoned by allegedly contaminated aquifers. Is not the scaremongering of the anti-frackers as bad as that of the anti-vaxxers? Should it not be treated similarly?
The noble Lord makes an important point. A number of scare stories have been circulating, although I would gently point out that many parts of America are much less densely populated than many parts of the UK.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions her Department has had with the Environment Agency on post-abandonment monitoring of onshore shale gas wells; and what steps she plans to take to ensure a monitoring regime is in place.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions her Department has had with the Environment Agency on post-abandonment monitoring of onshore shale gas wells; and what steps she plans to take to ensure a monitoring regime is in place.
The duration of monitoring required after decommissioning/well closure will be assessed on a site-by-site basis by the Environment Agency. The environmental permit requires the operator to have in place a closure and rehabilitation plan, which must be agreed with the Environment Agency before decommissioning begins. The operator will not be allowed to surrender their permit until the Environment Agency is satisfied that there is no-ongoing risk to the environment.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he expects to publish the British Geological Survey's assessment of the hydrocarbon resources in the Weald area.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he expects to publish the British Geological Survey's assessment of the hydrocarbon resources in the Weald area.
Can my right hon. Friend confirm that nearly 200 wells in this country and over 2 million wells worldwide have used hydraulic fracturing technology and not a single person has been poisoned by contaminated sub-surface water supplies and not a single building has been damaged by the resultant minuscule earth tremors?
Can my right hon. Friend confirm that nearly 200 wells in this country and over 2 million wells worldwide have used hydraulic fracturing technology and not a single person has been poisoned by contaminated sub-surface water supplies and not a single building has been damaged by the resultant minuscule earth tremors?
I can certainly confirm that hydraulic fracturing is a well-established technique. It has been used the world over. We also have experience of onshore drilling in this country for nearly 100 years now, since the end of the first world war, and hydraulic fracturing will be permitted only if it is safe not only for those involved but for the environment and the local community.
Now for shale gas, Mr Speaker. Shale gas has exciting potential, but we need to move forward with the right measures to ensure safe and secure operations, and reassure local communities. As for the US experience, so far as we know there has been no confirmed instance of any person being poisoned by water contamination or of buildings being damaged by earth tremors as a result of fracking.
I am grateful to the Minister for that clear answer. I know that he will not want to be critical of his predecessors in the Department, but why has it taken 18 months to discover such a simple fact, which, if promulgated earlier, would have set at rest the minds of people in the areas where frack drilling is likely to take place ?
I am grateful to the Minister for that clear answer. I know that he will not want to be critical of his predecessors in the Department, but why has it taken 18 months to discover such a simple fact, which, if promulgated earlier, would have set at rest the minds of people in the areas where frack drilling is likely to take place ?
As my right hon. Friend knows, the Secretary of State has made it clear that he has put in place conditions, regulations, and secure and safe circumstances that will allow the continued exploration for shale gas. Shale gas is a potential virtue, but it has to be pursued in a way that is safe and secure, and guarantees public support.