Reporting of the politics at national and local level of the shale gas and fracking debate
After announcing an indefinite moratorium on fracking in Scotland, the Scottish Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, faced questions from MSPs. DrillOrDrop has picked out some of the key points from across the parliament.
In the past half hour, the Scottish Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, announced to the Scottish Parliament: “Fracking cannot and will not take place in Scotland”.
Ministers revealed this week that ambulances were called six times to incidents at or near Cuadrilla’s shale gas site in July and that government departments discuss anti-fracking protests.
The Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, promised Labour’s support to protesters outside Cuadrilla’s fracking site near Blackpool during a visit this afternoon.
The Environment Agency has made five visits to Cuadrilla’s Lancashire shale gas site since November 2016, of which one was unannounced, according to written parliamentary answers this week.
The Green Party is calling on the shale gas company, Cuadrilla, to answer allegations of violence by security guards and staff against protesters at its site near Blackpool.
In this week’s Fracking Week in Parliament: Labour MPs question the Energy Minister on fracking policy, regulation and staffing. Plus parliamentary questions and speeches on fracking impacts, the Conservative manifesto and opposition to shale gas.
In this week’s Fracking Week in Parliament, new Derbyshire MP backs local opposition to INEOS shale drilling plans and ministers are quizzed on risks to groundwater, liability of shale gas companies, staffing of regulators and the government’s shale gas team and the Government’s assessment of the Medact report.
DrillOrDrop’s weekly digest from the UK’s parliaments returns after the local and the general elections with peers quizzing the government on its shale gas policy.
As predicted by several newspapers yesterday, Conservative manifesto pledges on shale gas did not make it into this morning’s Queen’s Speech.
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