Imperial Party forum

thomas davison

Shale gas revolution starts now: Ban on drilling is lifted as ministers try to calm fears over pollution and quakes
Drilling can resume at fracking site where tremors caused previously

Energy Secretary says shale gas could play key role in energy security
David Cameron said Britain should be at heart of 'gas revolution'

Environmentalists warned of backlash if rural areas affected by drilling

By Nick Mcdermott And Tamara Cohen
PUBLISHED: 09:15, 13 December 2012 | UPDATED: 07:49, 14 December 2012

..

A new phase of drilling for shale gas, which the Government hopes will revolutionise Britain�s energy supply, was given the go-ahead yesterday.
The controversial technique of extracting the gas from subterranean rock � known as fracking � was suspended last year after it was believed to have caused two small earthquakes in Lancashire.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey said new conditions had now been imposed to minimise the risk of seismic activity.
However, he did recognise the environmental concerns of those living near shale gas wells, which could soon spring up in many parts of the country.
Fears have been expressed over possible water pollution and nuisance from lorries transporting equipment, but Mr Davey pledged to address them.

�It is essential that shale gas development should not come at the expense of local communities,� he said. �Fracking must be safe and the public must be confident that it is safe.
�We are strengthening the stringent regime already in place with new controls around seismic risks. And as the industry develops we will remain vigilant to all emerging evidence to ensure the local environment is protected.�
Advocates of fracking � the process by which water and chemicals are pumped into shale deposits at high pressure to release trapped pockets of gas � say it will end our dependence on expensive imports and protect consumers from rising prices, as North Sea gas reserves dwindle.

David Cameron this week backed the technology and said Britain should be at the heart of the shale �gas revolution�, claiming it could bring down the price of household energy bills.
Lib Dem Mr Davey was more cautious yesterday, saying only that shale gas would hold down future gas price rises rather than slash them, as has happened in the US. NEVER IN THIS COUNTRY. NOTHING GOES DOWN HERE.
Nearly two-thirds of the country could be sitting on estimated gas reserves of up to 300trillion cubic feet, according to industry experts � enough to supply Britain for 120 years.
But it is not yet clear how much of the trapped gas is recoverable, with drilling so far restricted to Lancashire, where energy firm Cuadrilla Resources has dug four exploratory wells.
When it announced its finds last year, Cuadrilla said it would drill up to 800 wells over 16 years and, if production was successful, it could create thousands of jobs and generate �5billion-�6billion in tax revenues.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has granted 176 exploration licences across Britain, although holders still require further consent before fracking can commence. It is thought fracking will not begin again until late March at the earliest because Cuadrilla will need to secure fresh planning permission for its wells.
There is growing local concern about fracking in Lancashire, as well as other areas thought to be rich in shale gas such as Sussex and South Wales.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England yesterday warned of a greater backlash if large areas of countryside were �transformed into industrial sites� with a steady stream of lorries transporting gas and polluted water away from drilling sites.

Controversial: Drilling in the Blackpool area last year caused a small earthquake but the Government wants to expand the use of fracking in Britain
Paul Miner, the CPRE�s senior planning officer, said: �The Government doesn�t appear to have recognised the potential for major landscape damage, or the need to properly consider this at the local level.�
'FRACKING' THREAT TO RURAL LIFE

The rural splendour of George Osborne�s constituency in Cheshire could be blighted by his enthusiasm for shale gas exploration.
Tatton includes unspoilt countryside, the historic towns of Knutsford and Wilmslow, and villages such as Alderley Edge � said to have more millionaires per square mile than anywhere else in the country.
Professor Peter Styles of Keele University said the rocks in Tatton are of interest to energy firms as they are from the same period as those in Lancashire, where exploratory drilling suggests there could be enough shale gas to power Britain for decades. He added shale gas exploration requires �around a football pitch worth of land� per site.
A report from the Royal Academy of Engineering also lists Cheshire as an area of interest for �fracking� � the technique used to extract the gas.
But exploration in the area could be opposed by residents, who have been swift to protest against threats to the countryside in the past
.Concerns have also been raised that fracking could pose a threat to Bath�s world-famous hot springs if a test-drill for gas was allowed in the area by the local authority.

In the US, households near to wells have complained of increased traffic and polluted water supplies.
But the Institute of Directors stressed that if the environmental fears could be allayed, shale gas offered great potential for the future.
Its senior economic adviser Corin Taylor said the UK�s energy mix must include more gas, along with green energy and nuclear power, to meet carbon targets.
And energy minister John Hayes added that the Government had taken �the very best� scientific advice on fracking and said: �We have out every safeguard in place; this is the most rigorous regime in the world, I think.�
However, some in Mr Davey�s party remain unconvinced that shale gas will provide the predicted energy revolution.
A senior Lib Dem source told the Daily Mail: �There is no principled objection to shale gas. But all these Tories calling for it could be in for a rude awakening.

'Shale gas wells will generate a lot of traffic and disruption. It could make objections to onshore wind look like a picnic.�
Environmentalists fear a �dash for gas� could also prevent Britain meeting its climate change targets.
But Mr Davey said these would be met, despite resumption of fracking.

He said: �Shale gas represents a promising new potential energy resource for the UK. It could contribute significantly to our energy security, reducing our reliance on imported gas.�
The new controls will include a �traffic light system�, requiring operators to stop if seismic activity reaches 0.5 on the Richter scale.

An industry source said: �The new threshold is very conservative � it�s the equivalent of a large vehicle driving past on the road.�

More bullshit from the INDUSTRY who will tell you anything to let them do it, it all in the name of PROFIT not economy.

Last year protestors attached themselves to the Cuadrilla shale gas exploration site near Hesketh Bank in Lancashire
So how serious are the environmental concerns?
By David Derbyshire
Shale gas could become the greatest contribution to Britain�s energy supplies since the North Sea boom of the 1970s. But those against fracking say the environmental consequences outweigh the benefits. So what are those concerns and how serious are they?
Earthquakes
Much has been made of the suspension of exploratory fracking at Blackpool last year after two small quakes of Richter scale magnitude 1.5 and 2.2 were recorded. The Cuadrilla drilling company said that its operations were probably responsible.
MORE TO COME FROM PROBABLY RESPONSIBLE COMPANY.

But they were too minor to do any damage � and according to the British Geological Survey there were nine tremors in the UK of the same magnitude in the past two months alone.
A follow-up study by the Department for Energy and Climate Change concluded that the risk of earthquakes caused by fracking was low, and structural damage to buildings, bridges and roads was extremely unlikely.
POLLUTION
Millions of gallons of water and chemicals are forced into the ground during fracking operations, and there are concerns that some of the residue could leak into the water table.
However, Parliament�s Energy Select Committee says there is little risk to water supplies in the UK, as long as the drilling is done correctly. WHO IS GOING TO KNOW IF ITS DONE CORRECTLY, NOT A POLITICIAN THATS FOR SURE.

Leaks in America have been caused by badly maintained wells which haven�t been lined properly. British supporters of shale gas development say rules are tougher here.
MORE RUBBISH, they cannot see what is happening underground so how do they know if it wasnt lined properly, if it leaks they know only then.

US companies are also allowed to store dirty water from fracking wells in open tanks, whereas in Britain fracking companies will have to store the water in sealed containers on site. AND THEN WHAT DO THEY DO WITH IT? POUR DOWN A DRAIN?
Concerns have also been expressed about chemicals leaking from gas wells into underground water aquifers and reaching the domestic supply. However, most fracking is done thousands of feet deep � far below the water table.
THE CHEMICALS DO NOT DISAPPEAR, THEY HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey made a statement to Parliament on the Government's new policy on shale gas
US protesters have complained about methane getting into their drinking water. Again, the industry says this was caused by bad fracking. If wells are lined, there is no reason why methane should escape.
THREAT TO THE LANDSCAPE
The Department of Energy and Climate Change says nearly two thirds of Britain lies over shale gas reserves.
If the predicted boom materialises, gas wells could spring up across the countryside. While they are not as imposing as wind farms, pylons or power stations, this would represent some industrialisation of rural Britain.

Cuadrilla concedes that drilling and fracking rigs would be visible from a distance, but would be on site for only a few months. After that, they say wells could be screened from view.
NUISANCE
Fleets of lorries will be needed to bring in excavation, drilling and storage equipment to create the well, and to bring the sand and chemicals for the fracking process. In the short term, shale gas would also be taken away by lorries, though it is cheaper to pipe it out. Over time, however, gas companies will almost certainly create a network of new gas pipes.
THE BENEFITS

WILL NOT BE TO THE USERS ONLY THE PRODUCERS AND GOVERNMENT.

In America, fracking has slashed domestic gas prices and there could be similar major effects on household energy bills in the UK.
David Cameron believes shale gas will eventually bring down prices here.

Energy Secretary Ed Davey is a little more cautious, however, saying only that it will hold price increases down � but even that would be a relief to the long-suffering consumer. THERE YOU HAVE IT, NO PRICE DECREASES,
What is beyond doubt is that shale gas would reduce our reliance on imports, particularly those from Russia.The UK could also reduce reliance on piped gas from overseas by investing in desperately needed storage.
In environmental terms, shale gas is deemed to be cleaner than coal and oil, though slightly less clean than North Sea gas.
WHY DO THEY NOT INVEST IN WAVE POWER? BECAUSE THERE IS NO PROFIT IN IT.

I worked in the oil/gas industry all around the world for nearly 30 years and it is a dirty business, the chemicals they will have to use will cause all sorts of problems to the land, just look what is happening in America.
Our gas bills will not come down, just like they DID NOT when North sea gas came on line, the only winners will be the producers and the government,you are nothing but a blank cheque.
In a few years time when the UK is bursting with immigrants that we cannot stop from coming in due to laws which we never made, energy will be the least of the problems, food, water, which will be contaminated from fracking,work, housing, health and transport will be top of the agenda. You are a PLEB and therefore have to do as they say and pay their ever increasing taxes to remain in this country and out of jail.
Do not get ill and have to go to hospital under the ages of 10 or over 60 as you have a chance you will die there, do not put your money in a pension plan as by the time you get it will be worthless.
Do not get married as the government and liberals will hound you to death for being normal, do not save for a rainy day as your money in the bank will lose value every day its there.
The more you look at how WE PLEBS have to live today with the multitude of laws where you are not evern allowed to think if it does not conform to some looneys ideas, well its sad that there has been no revolution as it means you have been brain-washed.

We are going down the slippery slope which will see the UK end up as a third world country, this is true as half the population will come from there,we have no laws worth talking about and its now everyone for themselves, as our politicians are doing today.
It is sad to say but unless something drastic is done our children will be slaves to the foreigners who will be running our country, there is no other outcome as things are.