Today’s announcement of the 14th onshore oil and gas licensing round is an important step in the development of the UK’s oil and gas industry. In addition to these new licences for exploratory work, we welcome the Government’s steps to reduce planning application times. Gas is an essential component of the UK’s energy supply and it is critical that these reserves are tapped.
Fracking will:
- improve Britain’s energy security,
- help to create thousands of jobs and boost productivity, and
- be a vital step for the country in its long-term transition into a zero carbon emission economy.
The Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering have made clear, the health, safety and environmental risks of fracking can be managed effectively. Enabling the extraction of shale gas will help to create thousands of jobs and boost productivity.
The CPS has long argued in favour of unleashing Britain’s shale gas potential. There is much further to go as the firms which have today been granted licences to explore still need planning permission and environmental permits before drilling can start. It is important that nimbyism and scare-mongering is not allowed to prevent the development of this vital sector.
The CPS will shortly be publishing new research on the environmental effects of shale gas extraction. In a forthcoming report The Facts About Fugitive Methane, Elizabeth and Richard Muller take an objective look at the maths around methane leakage – the scientists finding that current estimates for the scale of leakage are based on faulty calculations and are thus greatly overstated.
Read the Environmental case:
Why Every Environmentalist Should Support Fracking
Read the Energy Security case:
Deteriorating Energy Security: Why MPs Should Save Fracking
Watch out for a new CPS report:
The Facts About Fugitive Methane
Date Added: Tuesday 18th August 2015
