Investigative journalist and environmental writer. Specialising in UK onshore oil and gas, fracking and the reaction to it.
The Conservative MP who scrutinises energy policy told the shale gas industry it could face continuous opposition if it did not win public support for fracking. Tim Yeo, chair of the energy and climate change committee, said people had to be educated about the benefits of shale gas. […]
The fracking industry was warned today (September 19 2013) it could not afford a rogue operator or a single accident. The pro-fracking MP, Dan Byles, told the European Shale Gas and Oil Summit in London: “This is still a sensitive enough industry that an accident could shut everyone […]
Update to Timeline – September 2013 16/9/13 West Sussex County Council fails in its attempt in the High Court to get an order to evict campaigners from the roadside at Cuadrilla’s exploration site at Balcombe. The court adjourned the case, ruling that there was a need to balance obtaining […]
Update to September 2013 timeline 16/9/13 The Argus reports that West Sussex County Council has failed in its attempt in the High Court to get an order to evict campaigners from the roadside at Cuadrilla’s exploration site at Balcombe. The court adjourned the case, ruling that there was […]
Update to September timeline 13/9/13 Costs rise Sussex Police say the cost of policing the Balcombe protest has now reached £2.449m, up to yesterday (Thursday September 12 2013). Further charges Sussex police give details of charges made against people arrested on Tuesday (10 September 2013) outside the Cuadrilla site […]
28/9/13 Planning permission expires Cuadrilla’s planning permission from West Sussex County Council to explore for hydrocarbons at Lower Stumble Farm, Balcombe, expires.
A month ago today, on Thursday July 25th, Cuadrilla began moving equipment onto its exploratory drilling site near Balcombe in West Sussex. Anti-fracking campaigners gathered outside the gates and successfully stopped lorries getting into the site. By 11am, campaigners had established a camp on the verge alongside and vowed […]
Updates to August timeline 23/8/13 Costs reach £2.3m Sussex Police says the cost of policing protests at Balcombe has risen to £2.3m and is likely to reach £3.7m. It says the cost of the six-day Reclaim the Power camp, which ended on Wednesday August 21st, were £1.5m, including help […]
Even before the arrest yesterday of the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas – for illegally blocking the entry to the drilling site, along with other protesters – it was clear that any rational debate [about shale gas exploration] had been drowned out by a shrieking chorus of environmental […]
To Timeline August 2013 20/8/2013 Sussex Police say 10 people arrested yesterday outside the Cuadrilla site at Balcombe have been charged. Nine were charged with offences under Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 and one with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour. They will appear before […]
DRILL OR DROP? 