The UK to end fracking for good following new study

The UK to end fracking for good following new study

By Liam Taylor  November 4th, 2019

The UK government has halted all fracking in England with immediate effect following a new report regarding environmental impacts in the local area.

Share

The UK government has halted all fracking in England with immediate effect following a new report regarding environmental impacts in the local area. The decision follows years of conflict between environmental activists and the fossil fuel industry over the safety of fracking, both in terms of human and ecological impacts. 

The new report from the Oil and Gas Authority said it was impossible to rule out “unacceptable” consequences for those living near fracking sites after analysing the UK’s only active fracking site at Preston New Road in Lancashire. This project was brought to an immediate halt earlier this year after fracking triggered multiple earth tremors exceeding government earthquake limits.

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is an intensive mining process that involves pumping a sluice of water, chemicals and sand underground at high pressure to fracture shale rock and release trapped oil and gas. The process is controversial due to the large amount of natural resources needed to undertake the process and the negative impacts it can have on air, water and soil quality in fracked areas.

“After reviewing the OGA’s report into recent seismic activity at Preston New Road, it is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community,” said Business and Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom in a statement.

“For this reason, I have concluded that we should put a moratorium on fracking in England with immediate effect.” 

With this in mind, the government also stated it would not agree to clear any future fracking projects until “compelling new evidence” is provided of the safety of fracking from both a human and environmental point of view.

 

Positive Action

  • If you are concerned about the impacts of fracking or other extractive mining processes in your area, make your voice heard. Contact your local representative to find out what the reason is for allowing such processes in your area and, if you’re not satisfied with the answer, ask them to review it.
  • Check out the range of clean energy solutions offered by our sister company, Planet Ark Power.

 

Subscribe to Positive Environment News
Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.

Share

By Liam Taylor

Prior to joining Planet Ark Liam spent his time studying global environmental issues, travelling Southeast Asia on the cheap and working for a sustainable property management company in Bali, Indonesia. Joining the communications team at Planet Ark, he hopes to inspire positive environmental behaviour through effective and positive messaging.

Stay up to date

Whether you're looking for positive inspiration at home, at work or in the community you’ll find something in our suite of e-newsletters.