MPs call for halt to fracking
Environmental Audit Committee, which is made up of MPs from various political parties, calls for the UK’s fracking industry to be put on hold as it could derail climate action efforts
An influential group of MPs have called for the UK’s fracking industry to be put on hold as it could derail climate action efforts.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, involves drilling and injecting fluids into the ground at a high pressure to release underground shale gas deposits.
The industry has experienced a boom in the United States but is still in the early stages in the UK.
Studies have linked the method to environmental degradation, earthquakes, methane leaks and health risks which has made the industry controversial.
The Environmental Audit Committee, which is made up of MPs from various political parties, is scheduled to argue for an amendment to the government’s infrastructure bill, and call for fracking to be suspended.
Joan Walley MP, chair of the committee, said: “Ultimately fracking cannot be compatible with our long-term commitments to cut climate changing emissions unless full-scale carbon capture and storage technology is rolled out rapidly, which currently looks unlikely. There are also huge uncertainties around that impact that fracking could have on water supplies, air quality and public health.”
She said that if a national moratorium on fracking can not be agreed, there should still be a fracking ban at specific locations, including national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
The committee is calling for the government to stop issuing new fracking licences and permits if operators cannot prove that they can cover full liability in the event of pollution incidents, as well as full containment of methane being mandated within the licences.
The MPs have also called for a defined and mandatory distance between fracking sites and underground aquifers to protect drinking water.
Richard Black, director of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “The committee is completely correct to say that if UK shale gas plays a major role in our electricity generation, that would have significant implications for our climate change targets. In could be useful in other applications, however – but before promoting the industry, ministers really ought to do some proper thinking about where shale gas can be used within carbon budgets, and where it cannot.”
Responding to the report, the Department of Energy and Climate Change said it disagreed with the findings.
He told the BBC: "The net result of a moratorium on fracking will be - we will import more and more gas - within 15 years we will import three quarters of our gas into this country."
Prime Minister David Cameron has said the government is "going all out" for shale gas with the aim of creating jobs and reducing reliance on imported gas.
