Update on Timeline – September 2013

19/9/2013

Anglers come out against fracking. The Angling Trust, which represents game, coarse and sea anglers in England says current environmental regulations aren’t good enough to deal with fracking. It urges the government not allow fracking unless sustainable supplies of water are developed, such as new reservoirs, to avoid taking water from already–depleted rivers.

The Trust’s national campaigns coordinator, Martin Salter, says: “We are particularly concerned that the control and monitoring of this new industry will ‘slip through the gaps’ between regulators due to it not being adequately aligned to present environmental protection legislation.”

The organisation wants companies licensed to carry out fracking operations to guarantee their ability to finance remediation for any contamination of ground water.

20/9/2013

The UK Independence Party wants profits from shale gas gas extraction to be put in a state investment fund to ensure they are not squandered. Speaking at the party’s annual conference, the energy spokesman , Roger Helmer, says the UK should focus on what he called “grown up sources of energy, such as gas, coal and nuclear”, rather than renewables. He accused anti-fracking campaigners of being “eco freaks” and trying to “kill off the greatest new economic opportunity for our country in our lifetimes”