Investigative journalist and environmental writer. Specialising in UK onshore oil and gas, fracking and the reaction to it.
The Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, today urged David Cameron not to overrule the local refusal of Cuadrilla’s fracking plans in Lancashire. Anything that prevented local communities from rejecting fracking would be “fundamentally undemocratic”, she said.
Anti-drilling campaigners say they are “staggered” to discover that the UK’s first coal bed methane production site operates legally without environmental permits. They say this calls into question government statements that the regulation of the oil and gas industry is “gold standard”.
Yesterday the government published an uncensored report on the impacts of shale gas development on rural areas. The document had first been published 11 months ago with more than 60 sections blanked out. But llast month, the Information Commissioner gave Defra, which commissioned the report 30 days to […]
The government has finally released the full report on the impact of shale gas drilling on the rural economy – 11 months after first publishing a heavily redacted version. The full report, commissioned by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, details the negative impacts of shale […]
Less than 24 hours after councillors refused Cuadrilla’s application to frack in Lancashire, MPs called for multiple new conditions on the process. In a debate this morning, they argued for buffer zones between sites, water and waste recycling, apprenticeships, blight compensation, independent monitoring, bans on fracking in National […]
Cllr Paul Hayhurst, Independent County Councillor, Fylde West, member of development control committee Last week we were put under intense pressure which was giving us no option but to approve the application. We had further information over the weekend and we have been able to turn it down. […]
Cuadrilla, the operator of the proposed sites We are surprised and disappointed that Lancashire County Council’s Development Control Committee has denied planning consent for our application to explore for shale gas at Preston New Road, particularly as their decision follows a positive recommendation by the Council’s Planning Officers. […]
Pat Davies, Preston New Road Residents’ Group “Absolutely ecstatic. The community can breathe again. This has had a huge impact on peoples’ lives. We are delighted the committee have spent enough time considering this. I am delighted that Cllr Green was the voice of reason. We also owe […]
Cuadrilla’s bid to frack in the Fylde stalled today as Lancashire County Councillors refused a second planning application. In a wider margin than expected, the council’s development control committee voted by nine to three with two abstentions to reject the scheme to drill, frack and test up to […]
DRILL OR DROP? 