Investigative journalist and environmental writer. Specialising in UK onshore oil and gas, fracking and the reaction to it.
25th June 2014 A veteran environmental campaigner will have to wait another three months to challenge convictions arising from the Balcombe anti-fracking protests. Nick Ward, 52, of Cambridge, expected to appeal this morning against guilty verdicts for obstructing the highway and criminal damage. But his case at Hove […]
24th June 2014 County councillors who went on an information visit to an oil field weren’t told about two pollution incidents which took four years to fix, according to details released today (24/6/14) under the Freedom of Information Act.
22nd June 2014 Transcripts of the last week of parliamentary debates and questions on fracking and shale gas and oil Michael Fallon denies any cases of water contamination from fracking Value of shale gas to the economy Investment in the shale gas industry The Lords debate the Infrastructure […]
21st June 2014 A document released under the Freedom of Information Act has confirmed that the Sussex Police operation at last year’s Balcombe anti-fracking protests used covert intelligence-gathering. This had been suspected by campaigners but not previously stated by police.
20th June 2014 West Sussex County Council and the drilling company, Cuadrilla, have until the beginning of July to respond to a legal challenge by Balcombe residents.
20th June 2014 The UK is not ready to resume fracking because regulations are inadequate and the evidence of impacts on health is being ignored by the government, according to correspondence in The Lancet, published online this morning.
19th June 2014 Planning officers at West Sussex County Council are preparing for intense public interest in their advice on Celtique Energie’s application to explore for oil between Kirdford and Wisborough Green. They also expect there will be close scrutiny of their report, which will recommend a decision […]
18th June 2014 This afternoon Sussex Police said the independent review of its operation at the Balcombe anti-fracking protests, published by InvestigatingBalcombeAndCuadrillla.com two days ago, would help in its future approach to policing protests.
17th June 2014 Paul Mobbs, an environmental researcher, told last night’s We Need To Talk About Fracking debate that the government was using “dodgy dossiers” to try to persuade people that fracking was safe. Ministers’ “placatory words” had “absolutely no substance whatsoever”, he said.
17th June 2014 “This debate needs to be much wider than merely fracking”, said broadcaster Jon Snow, the chair of last night’s We Need to Talk About Fracking meeting in London. He told the sell-out event at Central Hall Westminster there also needed to be a debate about […]
DRILL OR DROP? 