Labour's position on shale gas

Over the past couple of weeks there have been a number of government announcements regarding shale gas extraction (or 'fracking') and the potential impact on the UK's energy supplies of extracting shale gas. The conclusion was that the government believe it to be safe and also a tremendous opportunity to generate a significant amount of gas from under Earth's surface. It's evident that more is known about Lancashire than anywhere else in the UK, as exploration is well advanced.

At this stage we are some way from understanding the scale of what is underneath Lancashire but it's estimated that reserves in the Bowland Basin region, which stretches from Cheshire to Yorkshire and includes Lancashire, could be in excess of 1,300 trillion cubic feet. The UK as a whole uses around three trillion cubic feet a year.

Since the recent news reports of possible shale gas extraction in Hyndburn, Leader of the Council Miles Parkinson and Graham Jones MP have been inundated with requests for further information. Nothing firm is in place at the moment but the Labour party have been asked for their stance on the issue.

Labour has always said Shale Gas extraction should only go ahead if it is shown to be safe and environmentally sound. If the Government believes that is the case then we will look carefully at that against the six clear conditions we have set, but the idea that this form of gas extraction can have the same impact here in the UK as it has had on gas prices in the United States is considered wishful thinking by most experts.

Questions are being put to the relevant ministers:

"The Government is consulting on tax incentives for shale gas production. Does the Minister not agree that before we discuss the economics of unconventional gas the Government should first address the legitimate environmental and safety concerns?"

"The Chancellor, who increasingly determines energy policy these days, recently announced the creation of the Office for Unconventional Gas. Will the Minister ensure that one of this new body’s first acts is to ensure that companies moving from exploratory work to extraction must formally advise local authorities and community groups?"

We must ensure we have an affordable, secure, low-carbon energy supply and gas will have a role in our future energy mix, especially as we move away from coal-fired power stations. It must be alongside an expansion of renewable energy capacity and investment in carbon capture and storage but under the coalition Government investment in clean energy has more than halved and the Government has created huge uncertainty by dithering and failing to commit to a 2030 decarbonisation target.

Our six conditions for the restoration of Shale Gas “fracking”

1. Mandated disclosure of chemicals used in fracking and assessment by regulator of their potential environmental impact and only non-hazardous chemicals to be used in fracking mix.
2. Must be a full assessment of the well integrity to ensure casing and borehole not susceptible to leaking; this must meet current industry standards for other types of drilling.
3. Micro-seismic monitoring of the area prior to any drilling to determine what the potential impact would be on local area.
4. Full assessment of impact of water use on local community, including assessment of how much of the water will be reused or recycled.
5. Assessment of groundwater methane levels prior to fracking.
6. Should be at least a full year’s monitoring of all of the above before any drilling can proceed.

Cllr Miles Parkinson has requested that Hyndburn Council contact Cuadrilla and invite them to give a presentation regarding Shale Gas (Bowland Basin) to the Full Council in September. Hopefully they will be able to attend and (as with all presentations to the Council) residents will be able to submit questions along with Councillors.