Fracking: action to protect the Mendip area

My letter to the Frome Standard this week (see here):

Dear Editor, In response to Duncan Skene’s letter last week, I can remind readers that local Lib Dem councillors, including me, have already taken action in response to concerns about the potential harmful environmental effects that industrial scale high pressure high volume unconventional gas exploration, including ‘fracking’ for shale gas, would have in our area. In September 2013 we drafted and successfully negotiated a strongly worded cross-party motion to state that Mendip should seek to control and to prevent fracking in the district, and demanded that the county council and Government ensure proper investigations into the effects on our environment and health before they promote or allow fracking here, due to concerns that fracking would harm the local environment including Mendip’s groundwater, cave network and wildlife, and Bath’s Hot Springs, which are all highly sensitive and internationally important. The motion was unanimously agreed by Mendip District Council, and was applauded by over 40 members of the public. Mendip District Council then set up a cross-party working group, which I and other councillors sit on to keep an eye on things. There is no industry activity to report at the moment. I was pleased that amendments to the Infrastructure Bill in Parliament will ban fracking in AONBs and protected wildlife sites, and recent Government guidance makes fracking very difficult to approve in or near World Heritage Sites (including Bath). Unfortunately a moratorium did not get cross party support, and as the Government could re-issue Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences in Somerset (giving exploration and exploitation rights for shale gas) in the next round of onshore oil and gas licensing later this year, in the face of local councils’ opposition, we still need to be vigilant. For further information please see http://adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk/

Adam Boyden, Mendip District and Frome Town Councillor, Frome College ward (Liberal Democrat)

Please see below for further links:

– Guardian article: Fracking set to be banned from 40% of shale areas

– Previous updates on the fracking motion successfully negotiated through Mendip District Council

– MDC press release, autumn 2013: Mendip takes a unified stance on fracking

– Somerset County Council oil and gas policy

– Tessa Munt, MP for Wells on her opposition to fracking and recent resignation over the issue

– Don Foster, MP for Bath on his concerns on fracking and the concessions recently won from Government

– HM Government: Developing shale gas and oil in the UK

– Gasfield Free Mendip

– Frack Free Somerset

– Frome Anti Fracking