Conservative Manifesto fuels debate on FRACKING.
The new Conservative manifesto pledges to strengthen legislation to enable the government to over-ride local councils’ decisions to deny planning permission for fracking. Sefton Council voted last year to oppose fracking. The government has already granted licences to explore for shale gas around the Southport area, including Southport beach. Seismic surveys have already taken place in Halsall and Formby.
“Whenever opponents of fracking cite the disastrous record of fracking in the US and Australia, they are told their arguments are invalid, as we do things differently here” said engineer Paul Bradshaw from Frack Free Southport. “So it’s ironic that the US shale industry is held up as a shining example in their manifesto. What they don’t tell you about is the poisoning of the air, land and water, increased health risks, earthquakes, dead livestock and wildlife, the anger of the American people, the long term cost in climate terms and ultimately the damage to our planet! They also fail to mention that unlike the USA, no-one on our small crowded island could be situated far enough away from a fracking site to escape the inevitable pollution carried on the wind. ”
Both the Labour and Lib Dem parties officially oppose fracking. Lib Dem candidate Sue McGuire said “I am delighted to give my support to a ban on fracking. I believe we should be looking at real investment in the green economy to create jobs, growth and a sustainable future, which a Tidal Lagoon in Southport would do. The Conservatives seem determined to take Britain back to the 1980s, when the UK was the ‘dirty man of Europe’. They have cut support for renewable energy and home insulation, sold off the Green Investment Bank and failed to control air pollution. A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for a greener, healthier, more sustainable country.”
Labour candidate Liz Savage said “Despite all the furore and arguments surrounding the issue, for me, it is relatively straightforward: we need to get clean and we need renewable energy instead of going for the easy hit of fracking. I thoroughly support Labour’s position on fracking, which is unequivocal; we oppose it and we will ban it. Fracking is completely at odds with our vision for a low carbon future. It’s not just the technical problems fracking can pose, the real problem with fracking is that it keeps us tethered to an energy infrastructure that our country must move away from because the environment cost is too high.”
The only frack to take place in this country, near Blackpool in 2011, resulted in a total of 68 tremors. The Conservative government and the fracking industry have constantly stated there is no evidence that the threat of fracking in an area has any impact on property values or the ability to sell. However, residents on the Fylde near sites for fracking are already experiencing difficulty in selling their homes, house valuations have been severely reduced, and some house insurance companies are now refusing to cover homes for damage caused by fracking.
The situation in and around the potential fracking site at Roseacre, 13 miles from Southport as the crow flies, where people have been forced to sell at greatly reduced prices, provides a clear warning of what might be in store for Sandgrounders. “One resident lost 14% against the asking price and one householder was forced to accept an offer 18% below the asking price, it was either sell or not be able to move – when there are health issues involved, it is not much of a choice”, said a spokesperson for Roseacre Awareness Group. “In some cases, potential purchasers have pulled out altogether after doing their research on fracking. It is clear the Government and the industry are either deliberately misleading those living near to sites being earmarked for fracking, or they are really out of touch with reality.”
New York State banned fracking on grounds of serious risk to public health, after a rigourous six-year study. Other places to ban fracking on similar grounds include France, Holland, Bulgaria, Tasmania and Victoria, Australia. Frack Free Southport urges residents to use their vote wisely on June 8th, and to keep uppermost in mind the effect that fracking in our area would have on our health. “Don’t take our word for it, go online and check out the ever-growing mountain of reputable scientific studies proving the dangerous effects of fracking.”
Liz: silence over Kitty’s Wood.
https://www.otsnews.co.uk/kittys-wood-labours-green-promises-enough/
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