Theresa May was asked in parliament for her reaction to the complaint of a Cheshire woman who was “door-stepped” by land agents acting for the UK’s biggest shale gas company.
In a question to the Prime Minister this afternoon, the Labour MP, Mike Amesbury, said the agents for INEOS Shale were seeking access to farmland in his Weaver Vale constituency to carry out seismic surveys.
He said the agent posted a pre-named contract to his constituent, Alison Davis, which would give the company rights to use the land.
But Mr Amesbury said:
“Alison had already rejected this request when she was door-stepped a few days earlier.”
He asked Theresa May:
“Does the Prime Minister know what it feels like to get an unsolicited letter from a group who won’t take no for an answer and will she join the Welsh and Scottish governments by saying no to fracking in England?”
INEOS has faced criticism in seeking to take legal action against the National Trust, which has refused access for testing at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire (link).
In Yorkshire last week a group of 15 landowners, holding more than 80,000 acres, backed the National Trust and said they had:
“no wish for our land to play any part in extracting gas or oil”.
The Prime Minister sidestepped Ms Davis’s complaint and replied:
“May I say to the honourable gentleman that shale gas extraction could be a very important part of ensuring energy security in this country and I’m sure all his constituents and the constituents of others represented in this house will want to ensure that the government is doing everything it can to ensure we maintain our energy security and we don’t see the lights being turned off.”
DrillOrDrop asked INEOS whether it supported the behaviour of the land agent and whether it was standard practice. This post will be updated with any response from the company.
Categories: Politics
DRILL OR DROP? 
No need for lights to go out if we invested in wind or solar.
It looks like the beast from the south east has a heart as cold as her namesake?
And there are creatures colder than that right here it seems?
Why do people not understand… Is wind and solar heating your house tonight? I work in the Offshore Oil, gas & renewable industry. Let me put this to you, it’s -5°C where I am right now; no solar and hardly any wind. Please do some research. Coal is going flat out tonight producing electricity, gas is ticking over in third gear but still providing the lions share of electricity as well as heating 80% of U.K homes. I find it insulting that people just come back with the lets put some more windmills up or invest more in solar…
It’s about the future Kisheny. What is the percentage of energy supplied by UK shale gas tonight. 0%
Gas pooled across Europe and the Nth Sea can see the UK through for the next 20 years (for gas supplies) and it would take that long to develop a whole new onshore gas industry here anyway, though I doubt whether it would successfully overcome the public acceptance hurdles and environmental impact issues. Meanwhile the UK could be ramping up renewable supplies – and feeding surpluses into a EU grid and working on leading edge storage solutions.
Correct, UK Shale gas tonight 0% because the industry has been delayed for years by nimby local councils. Selfish people who take no responsibility for their energy needs…
They would rather receive their gas from states like Qatar (terrorist links) Russia, switch the telly on and look at Syria.
Develop UK shale, kick coal into the long grass and reduce GHG by not requiring LNG from Qatar and the states.
Push some of this gas into the EU, great bargaining tool for Brexit, push Putins gas back and impose European sanctions on Russia that really count for something (get them out of Syria).
Billions in tax revenues to the Treasury, self sufficiency and stop 3000 people dying from fuel poverty every year what’s not to like!
Gas and renewables Combo.
That is the future…
The shale industry may not be viable, it is unproven in the UK, it can never replicate what has happened in the US, it can never provide the UK with energy independence (self sufficiency), even the industry that enjoys exaggerating the positives of shale at every opportunity, has admitted that at best shale gas may provide up to 50% of UK gas consumption. So Kisheny I think you need to accept that the UK will continue to import gas whether or not shale gas is produced. If shale gas proves non viable or their is a change of government/political support then fracking will either not succeed or will be banned. The government has already stated, as others have already mentioned on this site, the UK has energy security for the next 20 years without shale gas. And what about oil? We import oil and will continue to do so but that doesn’t seem to be an issue despite importing it from those sort of countries you say are linked to terrorism, yet you do not mention this. Renewables are advancing and are the future.
KatT.
UK shale unproven??
Why dont the anti fracker just back off and let PNR and Cuadrilla do the test ? If unproven I am sure they will pack up and you won.
No thanks TW; if asked to put your hand in a fire, would you?
Enough gas for 20 years? looking more like 20 hours now…
UK is running out of gas, National Grid warns
Perfect storm of freezing weather and supply problems prompts rare call for more fuel immediately
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43229297
You keep putting this on Kisheny; has no one given you a new script yet?
For the avoidance of doubt.
1. It is winter
2. We have limited gas storage in the UK.
3.It is a storage issue, not supply…..
‘You may recall we often run out of grit for the roads at this time of year. Its a simple conundrum. In the UK we have, as yet, very few extreme weather events. Such is then we do not have the permanent resources to cover the larger peaks in weather change. Again, nothing to do with supply, just management’; my quote ;).
Hywind producing 65% of the time with prices comparable to fossil fuels. Excellent news. Now the UK can put up more wind farms in harder to access waters
https://www.statoil.com/en/news/15feb2018-world-class-performance.html
Germany, whose wind speeds are significantly lower than the Uk, doing particularly well with some more windmills.
https://energytransition.org/2018/01/german-energy-consumption-2017/
Note: The amount of coal a country burns has no connection with how well wind turbines perform.
UK commercial Battery storage well under way.
Hi John
UK is running out of gas, National Grid warns
Perfect storm of freezing weather and supply problems prompts rare call for more fuel immediately!
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/01/uk-is-running-out-of-gas-national-grid-warns-freezing-weather
Thanks for the link to the statoil site, I was part of the team and very proud to install it. U.K subsidies helping the financial figures which will end this year. Will they install more without subsidies, No! All revenues direct to Norway.
Note: The amount of coal a Country burns has a direct connection to the performance of its windfarms.
Better charge your batteries up for Thursday… Wrap up warm John.
‘ Is wind and solar heating your house tonight? ‘ yes thanks
Good for you, just spare a thought for the other 80% of the population and the 3000 people who die each year through fuel poverty.
round and round we go, where we stop, only we know…..
Fuel poverty – a post modern term to describe a category by the governance. Definition of fuel poverty. Person or persons unable to afford to heat every room in their home (fuel type not specified); includes all mansion owners down on their luck…..
Poverty; a state caused by lack of money due to own or outside influences, induced by job loss, mis-management of money, low wages/pension/benefits; consequence unable to pay ALL living expenses including food, energy (due to inflated prices) and basic needs.
Lol coming from an MP that represents an out of date hard left Labour that rely on making false promises to the easily led members of our population.
Maybe he should practice what he preaches and bog off as the majority of us are fed up seeing and hearing anything that they come out with.
Just what the Tories need – another attack poodle. You might get a salaried position for that kind of thing GBH.
The lights won’t go out anyway. The government’s own 2017 BEIS Energy report stated that we are energy secure fir the next 20 yrs without even mentioning fracked gas! So read your own reports ypu stupid woman and stop sensationalising our energy situation. We do not need fracked gas.
I work in the offshore oil, gas and renewable industry Jane, some very strong comments. You must have a real insight into the industry and believe everything you read. Of course the Government will want to assure everybody they are energy secure for the next 20 years. That is unless Qatar can’t ship LNG to us or Russia chokes back their supply to us or the Forties pipeline cracks again or there is an explosion in an Austrian gas supply plant or we fall out with the U.S.A and they don’t ship LNG to us or as our North Sea gas production keeps falling year on year or as we have hardly any gas storage and we run short or how Europe throttles back gas supply to us as they need it (which they did the other night) or after we leave the EU they throttle back gas to us or at a price or as LNG shipments become ever more expensive as the demand grows ie German ditches coal and uses gas do I really need to go on and on? But as you say there is no way the lights will go out, you are perfectly correct? Maybe you should keep that report and use it to be burned on your fire, just in case…
Goodness me so many disaster scenarios. It makes me wonder how the UK has managed to import coal from countries like Russia for the last 30 years after closing all the collieries, when we had all that home grown coal under our feet. How strange the lights never went out when we had to rely on those pesky Russians and were more than happy to put our miners out of work. It just goes to show there is even more reason to ditch fossil fuels as soon as possible and invest in renewables, smart grids, batter storage and become truly energy independent.
You might just get your wish in the next few days…
UK set to run short of gas TODAY as National Grid issues deficit warning
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/01/uk-is-running-out-of-gas-national-grid-warns-freezing-weather
I’m sure your local chip shop has an ample supply of batter storage
Renewables plus gas is the solution
‘and they don’t ship LNG to us or as our North Sea gas production keeps falling year on year’
Best stop exporting our indigenous gas if you are worried about supply.
Look how much we export compared to LNG imports.
Click to access Gas.pdf
Page 45 table 4.1
Regarding North sea oil
https://www.oilandgaspeople.com/news/16196/uk-set-to-become-net-crude-oil-exporter/
National Grid to import LNG from US shale for the first time
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/07/05/national-grid-import-lng-us-shale-first-time/
bit old that one……
I watched the so called side step. It was a silly attempt to gain a piece to add to social media. It fell flat and was the typical whinge about an individual situation that was not qualified or substantiated to the person questioned.
Totally waste of parliamentary time and just proves there are too many MPs there who want to play games.
There is no need to risk polluting our water resources and I believe those that give permission for Frack8ng should be personally, legally responsible. That includes May. The very fact that the corrupt Tories are pushing something that has already caused so much destruction and pollution in America, speaks volumes. The facts are there the results are there. Why are they being ignored?
Please everybody that is the United States. The U.K has much stricter regulations… I have worked in the Gulf of Mexico, trust me I know…
And the UK has (on average) 10 times the population density and much smaller lanes – less suitable for the massive haulage requirements.
This rings true. If I was MP I could name several people to the PM locally who have been the subject of appalling behaviour of fracking’s agents. Visiting in twos to isolated farmers and pushy, communicating that farmers have no choice but to sign up, and just bulldozing fences and trespassing on land of those who don’t sign up. And a company that takes out an injunction against any protest action, takes the biggest member organisation in the country to court because they said no (National Trust), taking an entire government to court because they asked the people and they said no (Scotland). This is the intimidation of a desperate company, of an industry desperate to keep us hooked into fossil fuels, into a climate change meltdown. No still means no.
Theresa thinks fracking for plastics will keep the lights on. Have you ever heard such nonsense. However, the important framing of ‘could’ is a signal to the people of England that if they see INEOS off the lid on the fracking coffin will be nailed shut.
There are 3 ways that Governments and big industries try to get what they want.
They try to buy you. give you something now then come back later and remind you that you owe them.
if that does not work
Get the people to fight against themselves, encourage division, scare them, then go in and sort it out in a way that suits.
if that fails
Force your way in ignoring all collateral damage.
The Government and the big players need to stop and take a good hard look.
They already have and will continue to do so,
Fail miserably on all 3 approaches.
The industry will fail
The feeling is mutual Gottabefibbing
Having given the nod and handed out exploration licenses the government has some explaining to do. One can see the appeal (politically) of the much trumpeted ‘energy security’, the inward investment of many billions of pounds, and the resulting speculation on 4000 plus wells producing massive amounts of gas (along with profits for the capital investors). But where was the detailed scrutiny by parliament including (looking at) many hundreds of pages of consultation documents generated from investigations by other nations, and US States, which helped them decide that Fracking risks outweighed the benefits? Where are the honest statements informing the country about how fracking wells would eventually have to creep all over the countryside? that each well has a short life span and fracked gas is a polluting non-renewable resource etc. One gets the impression that a lot of this has been engineered behind closed doors. For whose benefit is the big question.