Fracking poisons water table + caused Blackpool Earthquake

[outsider]

Texas Town Sues to Uphold Fracking Ban, Protect Democracy:
http://ecowatch.com/2014/12/05/denton-texas-fracking-ban-lawsuit/?

'The little guys aren’t taking this one lying down. In November, voters in Denton, Texas—fed up with oil and gas drilling companies unwilling to work with citizens to put some reasonable protections in place and with state and local regulators for allowing new fracking wells near homes, schools, parks and hospitals—passed a ban on fracking, despite being hugely outspent. The Texas Oil and Gas Association, representing the fracking companies, and the state’s General Land Office responded with lawsuits to protect their “right” to push fracking on unwilling residents.

Now Denton is fighting back with lawsuits of its own. Yesterday, with the fracking ban taking effect on Tuesday, the Denton Drilling Awareness Group (DAG) and Earthworks, the groups that led the Frack Free Denton ballot initiative, filed intervention papers in both lawsuits, seeking to assert the right of citizens to decide what happens in their own neighborhoods. The groups are represented by the Texas local government law firm Brown & Hofmeister; attorneys from national environmental organizations Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council are asking the permission of the court to act as co-counsel.

“Denton residents, with Republican and Democratic majorities, voted overwhelmingly to ban fracking,” said DAG president Cathy McMullen. “Our city has the legal power to prevent bakeries from setting up shop in residential neighborhoods. To suggest that we don’t have the legal power to similarly bar fracking, a much more dangerous process, is the height of industry arrogance.”

“The state and industry could have respected Denton communities’ health, safety and property,” said Earthworks’ energy program director Bruce Baizel. “They chose not to. The ban is the result. Now, rather than constructively engage with the community, they simply overlook their regulatory failure and move to overturn democracy through legal action.”

At issue is whether local communities have the right to regulate oil and gas operations within their borders or whether, as the lawsuits by the oil and gas interests claim, Denton’s voter-approved ordinance is overridden by state regulators in contradiction of Texas’ long tradition of home rule authority over gas and oil development. There are many other local oil and gas regulations in effect across Texas, including in Dallas just to the south of Denton, which seems to contradict the contention of the frack-friendly interests.

“The State of Texas has granted municipalities the right to oversee oil and gas operations,” Earthjustice managing attorney Deborah Goldberg pointed out. “The people of Denton have exercised that right, and we intend to help preserve it. Communities from California to Texas to New York are fed up with the abuses of the oil and gas industry. When state and federal officials won’t stand up for the public, citizens must have the right to use local democracy to protect themselves.”

“This fight cuts to the heart of our democracy, and it is far from over,” said Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Dan Raichel. “The people of Denton have voted to keep fracking away from their homes and schools—they will not be bullied by powerful oil and gas companies that want to make a profit at the expense of their health. Denton is a pioneer in Texas, but it is not alone. This community joins hundreds of others around the country—and in Texas—that are demanding the right to determine what happens within their own borders.”

[outsider]

11 Earthquakes Rock Texas Fracking Heartland in 24 Hours:
http://ecowatch.com/2015/01/08/earthquakes-rock-texas-fracking-heartla nd/

'Now the eyes are on Texas. In 24 hours Tuesday and Wednesday, the area of Irving, between Dallas and Fort Worth, was hit with a cluster of 11 earthquakes, ranging in magnitude from 1.7 to 3.6. Several of the quakes were felt throughout the metropolitan area, with Irving’s emergency operations center receiving hundreds of calls. The Dallas Morning News blog tracked the quakes as they were happening.

Earthquakes, once rare in the area, have been increasing in frequency, with more than 20 since last September, according to StateImpact Texas, a project of two Texas public radio stations. And with Irving sitting on top of the natural gas-rich and heavily fracked Barnett shale deposit as well as the Balcones Fault Zone, many residents and researchers are think it’s to blame here too, just as in Ohio.

“The upsurge in quakes started in Texas around the time the oil and gas boom took hold several years ago,” reported StateImpact Texas. “Residents in many parts of the state blame the them on wastewater disposal wells, where fluid byproducts of oil and gas drilling are pumped deep into the ground. Scientists have shown how injecting fluid into the ground can cause earthquakes.”

Earlier this year, it reported on nine studies linking drilling and earthquakes in Texas, noting, “The number of recorded earthquakes (most larger than 3.0) has increased tenfold since a drilling boom began several years ago. The Lone Star State is now one of the shakiest in the country, coming in sixth in the continuous U.S. for having larger quakes last year.”...'

[outsider]

Email from 38* re Fracking under our houses:


The government is trying to change the law so big energy firms can drill for gas under our homes without asking us. [1]

But together we can stop these plans in their tracks. To change the law, they need MPs to vote for it in parliament. And the vote’s in just a few weeks. [2] Let’s make it clear that backing dirty energy companies over constituents would be a toxic move.

A huge people-powered petition against the plans - which we can hand-in to our MPs - will make sure all MPs know the way they should vote. Will you stand up for your home - and everyone elses? Click here to sign the petition:


SIGN THE PETITION


The plans - simple changes to existing trespass law - could mean your home surrounded by noisy machines, and your local park turned into a gas field. All without your permission. The process - known as fracking - could also poison our water and produce toxic waste. And it’s known to cause earthquakes. [3]

All over the country, people and local councils have been refusing planning permission to dirty energy companies for fracking. [4] But this change in the law takes away our power to say no to it happening under our homes.

When we work together, we’re stronger. And we’re not alone. Greenpeace supporters, Friends of the Earth members and thousands of grassroots campaigners are all standing hand-in-hand to stop these plans, for each other's homes. [5] It’s a truly people-powered effort. Will you join us?


SIGN THE PETITION




Thanks for being involved,

Amy, Nat, Maddy and the 38 Degrees team


NOTES:
[1] The Guardian: Government confirms plan to let fracking companies drill under homes:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/04/plan-fracking-firms -drill-homes-queens-speech
[2] Parliament website: Infrastructure Bill 2014-2015:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2014-15/infrastructure.html
[3] BBC News: Fracking tests near Blackpool ‘likely cause’ of tremors:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-15550458
[4] Campaigns By You: WCBC, reject applications to explore and extract shale gas and coal bed methane:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-fracking-wrexham-county-bo rough-council
The Guardian: Fracking firm lodging appeal after council rejects its planning application:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/15/fracking-firm-appea l-south-downs-planning-application
BBC News: Tamboran: Licence for fracking plans terminated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-29424086
[5] Greenpeace UK: Fracking:
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/fracking
Friends of the Earth: Fracking:
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/issues/fracking_background_info rmation_33157









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Start a direct debit

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Unsubscribe: If you no longer wish to be part of our movement and receive our emails you can unsubscribe here.

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38* is a very good organisation, with a huge following, and can, with our support, get things done. They are well worth supporting, and if they encourage you to sign a petition, it's likely to be in your favour to do so.

[outsider]

In just two weeks' Lancashire Council will decide whether to allow fracking in Lancashire.

This would be the first fracking in the UK in over four years. Fracking has already been halted in Scotland and Wales following health and environmental concerns, and the need to tackle dangerous climate change.

Join the demo on 23 June to say no to fracking in Lancashire, and no to fracking across the UK

All eyes are on Lancashire because this decision will not only affect the lives of local people, but it could also open the flood gates to fracking across the whole country.

That’s why loads of us are heading up to Preston on 23 June to ask Lancashire Council to protect us all from fracking.

It’s going to be big. Buses are available to bring people from across the country and the day will be filled with music, food and a rally with fantastic speakers. Most importantly it will be our chance to stand together and make our voices heard.

Find out more and join this important moment in the fight against fracking

Hoping to see you there,

Jenny and the Fracking Team

#DontFrackLancs

PS If you can’t make the demo, you can send solidarity messages to people on the ground in Lancashire. You can either tweet a message using #DontFrackLancs, or you can send pictures of yourself holding up a message of support to fracking@foe.co.uk

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Fracking poses 'significant' risk to humans and should be temporarily banned across EU, says new report
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/fracking-poses-significant-ri sk-to-humans-and-should-be-temporarily-banned-across-eu-says-new-repor t-10334080.html

A major scientific study says the process uses toxic and carcinogenic chemicals and that an EU-wide ban should be issued until safeguards are in place

By ANDY ROWELL
Saturday 20 June 2015
A major new scientific study has concluded that the controversial gas extraction technique known as fracking poses a “significant” risk to human health and British wildlife, and that an EU-wide moratorium should be implemented until widespread regulatory reform is undertaken.
The damning report by the CHEM Trust, the British charity that investigates the harm chemicals cause humans and wildlife, highlights serious shortcomings in the UK’s regulatory regime, which the report says will only get worse as the Government makes further budget cuts.
It also warns of severe risks to human health if the new Conservative government tries to fast-track fracking of shale gas across the UK. The “scale of commercial fracking” unleashed by the Government’s eagerness to exploit the technique “should not be underestimated”, it cautions.

Read more: Lancashire fracking in doubt following critical report
Fracking turning US into bigger oil producer than Saudi Arabia

TOP STORY
International Yoga Day: India accused of pushing 'Hindu agenda'
The report is due to be published tomorrow – in the week that Lancashire county council votes on two highly contentious planning applications to frack in the county by the company Cuadrilla. If approved, they will be the first commercial fracking sites in the UK.
Last week, council planning officers recommended approval of fracking at one site, Preston New Road, but opposed a second site, Roseacre Wood, but only on traffic concerns, not pollution from fracking itself.
The charity says it will send copies of the report to the Lancashire councillors before they vote.
Late last year, New York became the first US state with significant shale gas reserves to ban fracking for health reasons. Howard Zucker, New York’s acting health commissioner, said he had identified “significant” public health risks and the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, compared fracking to passive smoking, a practice that wasn’t understood as a health risk for many years.
The CHEM Trust report also focuses on the potential health effects of the hundreds of chemicals, along with sand and water, that fracking companies use to prise open rocks. It warns of “significant” pollution to air, groundwater and surface waters and threats to wildlife.
Some of these toxic chemicals have been linked to breast, prostate and testicular cancer in humans as well as coronary heart disease, the report says. It outlines how 38 fracking chemicals are “acutely toxic for humans” and a further 20 are mutagenic, or known or possible carcinogens.
The report gives specific examples of hazardous materials used in fracking, including chemicals “associated with leukaemia in humans” and “toxic to sperm production in males”. The trust warns it is “particularly concerned about the use of hormone-disrupting chemicals”.
It is also asking for full disclosure of the chemicals that will be used in the fracking process. Many of the chemicals used in the process remain secret. In the US, nearly 300 products used in fracking fluids contain at least one secret chemical.
The report warns of concerns about “the current regulation of fracking” in the UK, which has “weak points”. Since the passage of the Infrastructure Bill last year, “it is no longer clear how well groundwaters will be protected”. It is particularly concerned that “ongoing cuts in regulatory authorities” will only make matters worse, especially any cuts to the regulator, the Environment Agency, which lost 15 per cent of its staff last year.
Specific issues about fracking in Lancashire are raised, including the suggestion that fracking could harm wildlife in the Wyre estuary, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to 11 wading bird species of international importance and three of national importance, as well as important orchids and insects. “There is clear potential for fracking to cause serious pollution incidents with major impacts on the UK especially areas of recognised wildlife interest” the study concludes.
The report makes numerous recommendations to protect health, groundwater and the British countryside. These include no fracking operations near drinking water aquifers, the undertaking of environmental impact assessments for all fracking sites, and effective monitoring even after fracking operations have stopped.
Read more: Rise of US fracking causes shift in North Sea oil
Company gains permission to drill for gas in North York Moors
Beer drinkers claim fracking poses 'threat to quality of real ale'

Dr Michael Warhurst, the executive director of CHEM Trust, said: “Our investigation has identified key problems with the way fracking is regulated and monitored. Given the potential for pollution and damage to ecosystems, CHEM Trust is calling for a moratorium on fracking in Europe until our recommendations are in place”.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We take the environmental risks associated with oil and gas exploration and production very seriously, including hydraulic fracturing for shale gas, and are committed to ensuring that people and the environment are protected.
“Our regulatory controls are in place to protect people and the environment.”

[outsider]

The Medina Gazette: Lawsuit filed against Jon Husted over Medina County charter ballot issue: http://www.celdf.org/the-medina-gazette-lawsuit-filed-against-jon-hust ed-over-medina-county-charter-ballot-issue

'....The secretary of state ruled that the charter proposals in the three counties were not acceptable ballot issues. He said the measures would circumvent state law in a way that courts have ruled violates the Ohio Constitution.

“I am empowered,” Husted wrote, citing state law, “to ‘determine the validity or invalidity of the petition.’ ”

In Wednesday’s lawsuit, which was filed with the Ohio Supreme Court, residents of the three counties argue Husted’s invalidation of their ballot proposals was “unconstitutional, arbitrary, illegal and an abuse of his legal authority.”

“Respondent secretary of state is forbidden by pertinent constitutional principles from arrogating to himself the power to peremptorily ‘invalidate’ the three petitions because of his particular quibbles over their content and legality,” the lawsuit reads.

Sustainable Medina County was represented by attorneys provided by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, a Pennsylvania-based organization that provides free legal services to community groups working to protect quality of life and the environment.

In a statement, attorney James Kinsman said Husted has “trounced upon” the rights of county residents.

“It is the people’s constitutional right to vote on our own initiatives,” Kinsman said. “Mr. Husted — elected to serve the people of Ohio — is instead serving the oil and gas industry.”

Kinsman’s co-counsel, Terry Lodge, agreed.

“Secretary Husted has set himself up as Ohio’s censorship goalie,” Lodge said in a statement. “If the ‘wrong’ idea comes up for a vote, he alone can veto to cancel the election. If the Ohio Supreme Court OKs this arrangement, look for every future referendum that involves people versus corporations to disappear through the Husted loophole in Ohio, the ‘bah-no-no’ republic.”

[Disco_Destroyer]

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

Fracking just got MUCH easier. Tories are trashing our country
Ministers accused of trying to sneak through new fracking rules
Labour and Greenpeace condemn ‘deeply disturbing’ move to avoid full parliamentary debate on allowing drilling beneath protected areas

The Peak District national park
Energy secretary Amber Rudd previously committed to an outright ban on fracking in national parks such as the Peak District. Photograph: Paul Whitehurst/Alamy
Rowena Mason Political correspondent
Tuesday 27 October 2015 00.01 GMT
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/27/ministers-accused-o f-trying-to-sneak-through-new-fracking-rules
Ministers have been accused of trying to sneak through new rules allowing shale drilling under national parks without a proper parliamentary debate, in a move condemned by Labour and anti-fracking campaigners.

The rules, first proposed in July, would permit drilling underneath protected areas, despite a commitment before the election from Amber Rudd, the energy secretary, to have an outright ban on fracking in national parks, sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Instead of a full parliamentary debate, the controversial measures will instead be discussed and voted on by a small committee of MPs on Tuesday. All MPs will get to vote on the regulations at some point next week but will be denied the chance of a debate.

The 18 committee members include 10 Conservatives, including energy minister Andrea Leadsom, Julian Smith, an assistant whip, and Paul Maynard, a parliamentary aide to Rudd whose local association received a £5,000 donation before the election from Addison Projects, a company that could benefit from fracking. Maynard, the MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, has said the donation was in no way connected to the development of shale gas.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/27/ministers-accused-o f-trying-to-sneak-through-new-fracking-rules

[Disco_Destroyer]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fox-creek-fracking-operation-cl osed-indefinitely-after-earthquake-1.3400605

[outsider]

Friends of the Earth - See things differently
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2025520aace5b8eab03720707&id=71277 ac977&e=fbba971f15

Fracking

1 February 2016

What colour do you want the gates to your local shale gas site?

That could be the limit of local people's input to decisions about fracking, according to a leaked letter written by Government Ministers. [1]

Say no to fracking.

The letter, leaked to Friends of the Earth, exposes potential plans to take decisions on fracking away from local councils and hand it to the Secretary of State by declaring fracking sites nationally significant projects.

This isn't a surprise – the Government has already said Westminster will now make the final decision on whether fracking happens in Lancashire. But if the plans in this letter were put in place, it wouldn't just be Lancashire that could have fracking forced on it, but anywhere in the country.

The Government knows this is not a popular idea – the letter says it might not want to make this change straight away, because it could be “undermining public support” for fracking.

And it goes against David Cameron's promise to listen to the voices of local people on fracking.

So now it's even more important that we don't let even one decision on fracking be taken away from local people.

Ask David Cameron not to force fracking on Lancashire, or any community that doesn't want it.

The leak comes just days before the start of the public hearing into Cuadrilla’s appeal against Lancashire County Council’s double-rejection of their fracking applications. The hearing will recommend whether the decisions are upheld, but the Government has already decided it will make the ultimate decision on this.

Tens of thousands of people have already signed our petition to David Cameron, asking him to stand by his promise that local people will have a voice in fracking applications and respect Lancashire’s democratic decision. But we need your support too if we are going to show David Cameron that this issue isn't going to go away.

Sign the petition today.

Fracking goes against everything we need to do to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees as agreed at the Paris Climate Talks.

Let’s keep up the pressure and tell Cameron that he cannot force fracking on us.

Sign the petition and stand up for local democracy.

Thank you for your support,

Anna and the fracking team

NOTES:
[1] The leaked letter was written last July and is from Amber Rudd, Greg Clark and Liz Truss to George Osborne


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Contact us Thank you for your support

[outsider]

The following is an email; the website it cites is:
https://environmental-action.webaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public  /?action_KEY=13421&utm_campaign=CA_frackLeak&utm_medium=email&utm_sou rce=email_18419&track=email_18419

Southern California Gas Co. knew its fracked gas storage wells were failing more than a year before the leak began at its Aliso Canyon unit on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and even warned state regulators of the risks.1 But because there are virtually no rules governing methane leaks for existing fracked gas infrastructure, they did nothing.

Now, there is more pressure on SoCal Gas than there is inside that leaking gas well as local and state officials demand accountability. Last week, the California Assembly grilled officials on what they knew and when. This week the local air pollution control agency and the California Attorney General (Kamala Harris, famous for taking on an #ExxonKnew investigation) sued the company on behalf of everyone in the state who, well, breathes.2 California's senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, have been outspoken in demanding a stronger federal role in plugging the fracking leaks. Even President Obama's administration got in on the action as the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an advisory rule late yesterday .3

Here's the thing, none of those actions will stop the leak -- estimated by our friends at the Environmental Defense Fund, to now be at greater than 91 million metric tons of climate-wrecking fracked gas leaked.3 Nor will most of them do a thing to stop the next leak, which is absolutely sure to happen given that the EPA has still not issued rules to limit methane leaks from new or existing gas infrastructure. The EPA is the one agency with the power to protect us all from leaks like Porter Ranch, and it's about damn time they did so. Sign here if you agree and tell EPA to plug ALL the fracking leaks.



The strongest action so far from Obama's team has been yesterday when PHMSA issued an advisory and called on fracked gas infrastructure owners to "review their operating, maintenance and emergency response activities." But if you want to know just how weak these PHMSA rules are, just ask the spokespeople for the fracking and oil industry: The American Petroleum Institute (API), which praised the advisory saying, "It is these types of actions, not regulatory overreach, that serve the best interest of safety and economic growth.”3

If API is for it, you can be sure that these rules will do nothing to slow the pace of fracking leaks that pollute our climate, foul our air and devastate communities from coast to coast. It's really imperative that we make these changes NOW. In addition to the ongoing disaster at Porter Canyon, there's a massive build out of fracked gas infrastructure going on around the country -- so much so that some fracked gas companies have even begun to wonder if we're "overpiped" already with fracked gas infrastructure.4

But as long as they're making money, even a little, it's clear the frackers will just keep drilling, building and leaking with abandon. It's going to take sweeping action from Obama's team - like we've seen on reducing global warming pollution from power plants, or blocking coal leases on federal lands -- to make a dent. Join us today in calling for action from the EPA - RIGHT FRACKING NOW - by telling them to plug all the fracking leaks, starting with the Aliso Canyon facility.

Thanks,

Drew and the leak-pluggers at Environmental Action

1 - Phil McKenna, SoCal Gas Knew Aliso Canyon Wells Were Deteriorating a Year Before Leak, INSIDECLIMATE NEWS, January 28, 2016
2 - Phil McKenna, California Attorney General Sues Gas Company for Methane Leak, Federal Action Urged, INSIDECLIMATE NEWS, February 2, 2016
3 - Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Pipeline Safety: Safe Operations of Underground Storage Facilities for Natural Gas, February 2, 2016
4 - Kallanish Energy, Marcellus-Utica could soon be ‘overpiped’ February 1, 2016

[outsider]

Ian Crane is giving a talk on Fracking and nuclear waste:
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102206983512&ca=5f09 98d3-c18a-4487-939b-ebb0b8eb0719

18:30 Saturday 5th March
Village Hall, School Lane, Washington, West Sussex RH20 4AP

[outsider]

Rally with Yorkshire

The battle against fracking continues.

Communities in Yorkshire are organising a rally on Saturday, 30 July from Clifford’s Tower to York Minster.

Campaign against Climate Change are arranging transport for supporters from London to attend the Yorkshire rally.

The threat of fracking still looms large in Yorkshire but thanks to the local anti-fracking movement there - alongside support from other activists nationally and internationally - the resistance continues.

Can you join them?

Local councillors in Ryedale recently ignored local opposition and granted permission to Third Energy to frack, despite over 99% of locals objecting to fracking in their area.

The council’s decision was an affront to local democracy and is now being challenged by judicial review.

Please stand with Yorkshire on July 30 to make your voice heard.

It is now more important than ever that you make your objections to fracking Yorkshire heard as loudly as possible.

Together we can stop fracking in Yorkshire and everywhere.

In solidarity,

Anna and the fracking team
#DontFrackYorkshire

[outsider]

Victoria Becomes First Australian State to Ban Fracking:
http://www.ecowatch.com/victoria-bans-fracking-1991994701.html

'The state of Victoria in Australia has voted to ban fracking on its territory, further cementing the moratorium first put in place in 2012. It is the first Australian state to impose such a ban.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced Tuesday.

"It is clear that the Victorian community has spoken," the premier's office said in a statement. "They simply don't support fracking. The government's decision is based on the best available evidence and acknowledges that the risks involved outweigh any potential benefits to Australia."

The Victoria government had conducted a parliamentary inquiry into fracking for onshore gas in the state and received more than 1,600 submissions. Most of these were opposed to fracking.

The newly imposed ban will help protect agricultural industries and workers, the government said.

"Our state is the nation's top food and fiber producer with exports worth $11.6 billion," the statement said. "The permanent ban protects our farmers and preserves Victoria's hard-won reputation for producing high quality food."

More than 190,000 people are employed in the agricultural sector in Victoria.

Existing exemptions to the moratorium will continue. Gas storage, carbon storage research and accessing offshore resources are still permissible in the state of Victoria, while exploration and development for offshore gas will also continue.

The government said it will extend the current moratorium on exploration and development of conventional onshore gas until June 30, 2020. Scientific and environmental studies will be conducted on the risks and benefits of drilling for onshore gas, the statement said.....'

'....Momentum towards a ban increased in April, when EcoWatch reported that a river in South Western Queensland exploded with fire. The Condamine River, the site of coal seam gas operations, had so much gas seeping into the river that it sustained a substantial fire.

Methane was first identified in the river near Chinchilla in 2012, where Origin Energy had been drilling for gas. Locals say that, although some gas does originate from the Surat Basin geological formations, there has never been as much methane in the river. Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham also raised concerns over the length of the gas leak.

The Greens are pleased with the ban, but are frustrated that all onshore gas exploration has not been halted in the state.

"It's disappointing the government is leaving the door open to conventional gas drilling after the next state election," Greens energy spokeswoman Ellen Sandell, who represents Melbourne, told The Guardian.

"We won't stop fighting until all gas drilling is banned."

Up in New South Wales, where the April gas leak was filmed, a Greens MP and energy spokesperson called on the state to follow Victoria's lead and ban fracking

"The Greens are calling on [New South Wales premier] Mike Baird to end the uncertainty for communities by following Victoria's lead and banning coal seam gas and fracking permanently and setting a course towards a renewable energy future," Greens NSW Resources and Energy Spokesperson Jeremy Buckingham said.

A ban also makes economic sense, principal advisor at The Australia Institute Mark Ogge told The Guardian, arguing that the creation of gas-related jobs means even more agricultural jobs are lost.

Banning fracking "is sound economic and energy policy," he said.

"Whatever benefits there are [to Australia's energy industry], have gone almost entirely to the overseas owners of global oil and gas companies licensed to export Australian gas, largely at the expense of Australian businesses and jobs."

[outsider]

'Labour will ban fracking if it wins the next general election, party reveals':
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/labour-ban-fracking-wins-next-891 5381

'Labour will ban fracking if it wins the next general election, party reveals

Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
Green campaigners have pushed for a ban for years

Labour will ban fracking if it wins the next general election to stop Britain's reliance on fossil fuels, the party announced today.

The bombshell policy will be welcomed by green campaigners who have pushed for a ban for years.

But furious Gary Smith, Scotland Secretary of the GMB union, said: "We are increasingly going to be dependent on regimes fronted by henchmen, hangmen and headchoppers for the gas we need. That isn’t ethical and is surely an abdication of our environmental and moral responsibilities.”

The Tory government has said it is going "all out for shale" to boost the economy and approved Britain's first site since 2011 in May.

But opponents fear fracking - in which liquid is pumped deep underground at high pressure to fracture rock and release gas - can cause problems including water contamination, earthquakes and noise and traffic pollution.

No fracking has taken place in the UK since 2011, when tests on the Fylde coast were found to have been the probable cause of minor earthquakes in the area.'

[TonyGosling]

Tory minister Sajid Javid grants fracking rights after receiving funds from pro-fracking interests
06 Thursday Oct 2016 - Thomas Pride blog
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has received donations from a pro-fracking US lobby group called the American Enterprise Institute:
The American Enterprise Institute has received more than $1,520,000 from leading fracking company Exxon Mobile:
Mr Javid has just granted the right for private companies to frack under people’s homes in Lancashire – against the protests of more than 18,000 local residents:
https://tompride.wordpress.com/2016/10/06/tory-minister-sajid-javid-gr ants-fracking-rights-after-receiving-funds-from-pro-fracking-interests  /javid-fracking-mirror/

[outsider]

Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid - Tory)

Category: Very safe Conservative seat

Geography: West Midlands, Hereford and Worcester. The whole of the Bromsgrove council area.

Main population centres: Bromsgrove, Alvechurch, Hollywood, Barnt Green, Dodford, Hagley, Rubery.

Profile: This is an affluent commuter seat curling around the southern boundary of the West Midlands conurbation, and made up the town of Bromsgrove and the neighbouring dormitory villages. There has been significant growth through private housing developments over recent decades.

Politics: While Bromsgrove itself has some reliable Labour areas in its council estates, on the whole this is a safe Conservative seat. It was briefly held by Labour after a 1971 by-election and was marginal throughout the 1970s, but once Redditch was moved into its own seat in the 1983 boundary changes the new Bromsgrove seat became a solid Tory bastion. Until 2010 the seat was represented by Julie Kirkbride, one of the most high profile Conservative casualties of the expenses scandal, who stood down in the face of public and media criticism of her expenses claims.


Current MP
SAJID JAVID (Conservative) Born 1969, Rochdale. Educated at Downend School and Exeter University. Former banker. First elected as MP for Bromsgrove in 2010. Economic Secretary to the Treasury 2012-2013, Financial Secretary to the Treasury 2013-2014, Secretary of State for Culture 2014-2015. Secretary of State for Business since 2015.
Past Results
2010
Con: 22558 (44%)
Lab: 11250 (22%)
LDem: 10124 (20%)
UKIP: 2950 (6%)
Oth: 4748 (9%)
MAJ: 11308 (22%)
2005
Con: 24387 (51%)
Lab: 14307 (30%)
LDem: 7197 (15%)
UKIP: 1919 (4%)
MAJ: 10080 (21%)
2001
Con: 23640 (52%)
Lab: 15502 (34%)
LDem: 5430 (12%)
UKIP: 1112 (2%)
MAJ: 8138 (18%)
1997
Con: 24620 (47%)
Lab: 19725 (38%)
LDem: 6200 (12%)
Oth: 251 (0%)
MAJ: 4895 (9%)

[outsider]

'Fracking Caused 6,648 Spills in Four States Alone, Duke Study Finds':
http://www.ecowatch.com/fracking-spills-duke-study-2276074733.html?utm _source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=fc62d880b0-MailChimp+Email+Blast&ut m_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-fc62d880b0-85891161

'Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has long been tied to environmental risks such as spills. The frequency of spills, however, has long been murky since states do not release standardized data.

Estimates from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) vary wildly.

"The number of spills nationally could range from approximately 100 to 3,700 spills annually, assuming 25,000 to 30,000 new wells are fractured per year," the agency said in a June 2015 report. Also, the EPA reported only 457 spills related to fracking in 11 states between 2006 and 2012.

But now, a new study suggests that fracking-related spills occur at a much higher rate.

The analysis, published Feb. 21 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, revealed 6,648 spills in four states alone—Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania—in 10 years.

The researchers determined that up to 16 percent of fracked oil and gas wells spill hydrocarbons, chemically laden water, fracking fluids and other substances.....'

[Life]

This is a major issue when it comes to fracking :

http://thebridgelifeinthemix.info/environment/radon-gas-the-facts/#sth ash.HdvclxC5.dpbs

[outsider]

'WHAT FRACKING BAN? INEOS MARCH AHEAD WITH NEW £17M HQ IN GRANGEMOUTH':
https://athousandflowers.net/2015/11/27/what-fracking-ban-ineos-march- ahead-with-new-17m-hq-in-grangemouth/

'....But INEOS do not f*ck about with their money. Ratcliffe built his company up from nothing on the basis of taking over other businesses and then ruthlessly cutting costs. When they entered into a collision course with Grangemouth’s highly unionised workforce in 2013, Ratcliffe opted to shut down the plant and lock out the workers and threaten them with the sack, effectively holding the entire Scottish economy to ransom, rather than reinstate one union organiser. With little option, the workforce voted for a pay freeze, pension cuts and signed away their union rights in a bid to save their own jobs, while the Scottish Government chucked a £9 million Regional Selective Assistance grant Ratcliffe’s way (despite his personal net worth of £3.2bn. Ratcliffe’s yacht alone is worth £130m).

Ratcliffe is a man who likes getting his own way. While INEOS are making provision for shipping US shale gas across the Atlantic, they are also pressing hard for unconventional oil and gas extraction to begin in central Scotland, which contains an estimated 80 trillion cubic feet of gas and six billion barrels of oil. Their quiet confidence about the fracking morotorium ending in their favour and their investment in a £17m four-storey, 74,000 square foot headquarters in Grangemouth may not be such a coincidence. Whether the Scottish Government can triangulate themselves out of this situation remains to be seen....'

'Scottish Government tells court there is no ban on fracking':
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/09/scottish-government-tells- court-no-ban-fracking/

'..The energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said at the time that planning regulations would be used to "effectively ban" it by extending the moratorium.

Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, later said at First Minister’s Questions that the statement meant fracking was banned in Scotland.

The Scottish Conservatives, who are in favour of fracking, said it was a “staggering defence” from the government. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, called the Scottish Government “a shower”, and tweeted that Humza Yousaf, the Transport Minister, told the SNP conference last autumn that it was a ban.

Labour said the evidence in the fracking case summed up the SNP administration’s attitude of “spin before substance”....'

The website 'A Thousand Flowers' seems a pretty good blog for Scottish news.

[Life]

As individuals we need to accept the energy ministers offer of contract and add a fee schedule as part of our counter offer, relating to any and all failures that ensue from his leadership relating to fracking. Watch the resignation....

[outsider]

'Ban fracking before it's too late!':
https://www.change.org/p/ban-fracking-before-it-s-too-late

[Life]

Lancashire voted No and yet in come the lorries. Politics is broken, the link between the public and the politics of the nations has shattered.
Could this be because of corporatism?

[Life]

Lancashire voted No and yet in come the lorries. Politics is broken, the link between the public and the politics of the nations has shattered.
Could this be because of corporatism?

[outsider]

'SHALE GAS: HOW OFTEN DO FRACKED WELLS LEAK?':
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-01-10/shale-gas-how-often-do-f racked-wells-leak/

'...One of the boldest claims made by the shale gas industry goes like this: oil and gas companies have drilled and fractured a million oil and gas wells with nary a problem.

In other words fracture fluid or methane leaks are "a rare phenomenon."

But industry data disproves this dubious claim says Cornell University engineer Anthony Ingraffea, the main source for this series, who has studied the non-linear science of rock fractures for three decades.

Moreover industry studies clearly show that five to seven per cent of all new oil and gas wells leak. As wells age, the percentage of leakers can increase to a startling 30 or 50 per cent. But the worst leakers remain "deviated" or horizontal wells commonly used for hydraulic fracturing.

In fact leaking wellbores has been a persistent and chronic problem for decades. Even a 2003 article in Oil Field Review, a publication of Schlumberger, reported that, "Since the earliest gas wells, uncontrolled migration of hydrocarbons to the surface has challenged the oil and gas industry."....'

[TonyGosling]

Fracking halted again in Lancashire after 17th earthquake in 9 days
Jane Wharton Friday 26 Oct 2018 2:36 pm
https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/26/fracking-halted-again-in-lancashire-aft er-17th-earthquake-in-9-days-8078374/

Another earthquake has hit a fracking site in Lancashire – this time reaching levels where operations must be stopped. It is the 17th earthquake in 9 days and has officially been classed as a ‘red event.’ The latest – and biggest – tremor happened this morning on land where energy firm Cuadrilla is drilling for shale gas. Campaigners are calling for an end to fracking after the latest quake in Lancashire (Picture: Getty) The seismic event, measured 0.8 on the Richer Scale, and was detected on the grounds of their Preston New Road site. Earlier this week, the group voluntarily stopped drilling after a 0.4 event was detected. Couples could be allowed to get married during open-air ceremonies However regulations mean that injection operations must be paused for at least 18 hours although the firm plan to start again tomorrow. Campaigners, who lost a High Court bid to stop fracking, have demanded the firm stop following the latest set of quakes. The Cuadrilla fracking site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton, Lancashire where operations started again last week (Picture: PA) Rose Dickinson, Friends of the Earth campaigner, said: ‘Fracking only started 11 days ago. In that time there have been 17 earthquakes, including one today that has reached a red warning level – which means work at the site has to stop. ‘This is obviously deeply concerning for those living nearby and why the industry must be closely monitored. Pictured: Man who fell to his death from third-floor window trying to 'escape armed men' ‘We’ve known all along that fracking poses risks to our environment and our climate. When is the government going to realise that fracking is the wrong choice for Lancashire, the UK and our global climate?’ In 2011, fracking was halted for seven years after experts said two Lancashire tremors – one registering 2.3 magnitude – were caused by shale gas test drilling. Anti-fracking demonstrators failed in a last minute legal challenge to stop fracking starting again (Picture: Getty) Caudrilla said earlier this month it would spend at least three months fracking two horizontal wells, and then it would test to see if the gas flow was commercially viable. Anti-fracking campaigners tried to stop the process with an attempted injunction but failed in their bid. 'French Spiderman' banned from climbing any building in UK after scaling Heron Tower Drilling began last Tuesday and the first three tremors happened on Thursday October 18th, according to the British Geological Survey. Since then there have been a total of 17, of which 9 were in the positive figures, meaning fracking operations need to either be halted or taken slower. A tremor of 0 is considered an Amber event under a ‘Traffic Light System’ of safety monitoring. Anything over 0.5 is Red, meaning fracking must be immediately stopped. Fracking protesters have been at the site since operations began again last week (Picture: SWNS) On Wednesday, there was a 0.5 event and today’s – at 11.30am – is the largest yet at 0.8. All are at levels that would not be felt on the surface. A statement for Cuadrilla said: ‘A micro seismic event of 0.76ML was detected just after 11.30am this morning at Cuadrilla’s shale gas exploration site in Preston New Road, Little Plumpton, Lancashire. Six out of eight puppies dead after dogsnappers held knife to pregnant mum's stomach ‘Cuadrilla was hydraulically fracturing the shale rock adjacent to a horizontal well at the time and the seismicity is classed as a red event in line with the traffic light monitoring system regulated by the Oil and Gas Authority. ‘Operations have now paused for the next 18 hours during which seismicity levels will continue to be measured. More than 100 licences have been awarded for fracking in the UK (Picture: PA) ‘Micro seismic events such as these result in tiny movements that are way below anything that would be felt at surface, much less cause any harm or damage.’ The firm said the only reason they were detected in the first place was because of sophisticated equipment. Woman, 60, jailed for running over cyclist she 'thought he was a scarecrow' They added: ‘Work will now pause for at least 18 hours and is expected to recommence in the morning.’ Fracking, or Hydraulic Fracturing, involves pumping vast quantities of water and chemicals into unstable rock to release combustible gas. Thousands of protesters turned out at Preston New Road near Blackpool in Lancashire to demand an end to fracking at the Cuadrilla gas fracking site (Picture: Rex) Drilling for shale gas is still at an exploratory phase. However, reserves of shale gas have been identified across large swathes of the UK, particularly in northern England. More than 100 licences have been awarded by the government, allowing firms to pursue a range of oil and gas exploration activities in certain areas. Man found guilty of murdering trans woman he accused of rape after chem sex binge A government-appointed panel said there could be more tremors as a result of fracking, but they would be too small to do structural damage above ground. The Government has been pro-fracking despite concerns over climate change. Local residents are concerned about contamination of their water (Picture: PA) When Theresa May came to power, she announced householders living near shale wells would enjoy a ‘frackpot’ payout of up to £10,000 each. However the UN’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change launched a new report earlier this month bringing forward the dangerous limits of climate change and calling on world leaders to take immediate action to bring global warming under control by 2040. The extensive list of measures required includes a diverse energy mix of 85 per cent renewables and practically no coal, oil or gas.

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/26/fracking-halted-again-in-lancashire-aft er-17th-earthquake-in-9-days-8078374/?ito=cbshare
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/

[TonyGosling]

Fracking stopped after largest ever earthquake recorded at Blackpool site
https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/22/blackpool-fracking-stopped-by-earthquak e-that-is-biggest-recorded-so-far-10611561/

Richard Hartley-ParkinsonThursday 22 Aug 2019 7:56 am Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messenger 927 SHARES

Activity at the site has been halted for 18 hours as a result of the tremor (Picture: PA) A tremor with a magnitude of 1.55 has been detected at the Preston New Road fracking site near Blackpool, Lancashire. It is the largest tremor ever recorded at the site and shook the ground yesterday evening. The previous strongest quake was 1.5 at Little Plumpton and anything above 0.5 means fracking must stop so that tests can be carried out. Cuadrilla, the firm behind the site, said that the tremor would not have been felt by most people and said it was the equivalent of ‘a large bag of shopping dropping on the floor’. Activity will now be halted for 18 hours. The Preston New Road site has been at the centre of the angry debate over fracking after two earthquakes in 2011 forced the practice to stop. Cuadrilla said last night’s quake was ‘a large bag of shopping dropping on the floor’ (Picture: PA) Initial studies by the British Geological Society suggested the quakes were linked to the fracking activities while an independent report found ‘most likely, the repeated seismicity was induced by direct injection of fluid into the fault zone.’ Fracking, or Hydraulic Fracturing, involves pumping vast quantities of water and chemicals into unstable rock to release combustible gas. Number of migrants coming to UK reaches lowest level for six years Drilling for shale gas is still at an exploratory phase. However, reserves of shale gas have been identified across large swathes of the UK, particularly in northern England. More than 100 licences have been awarded by the government, allowing firms to pursue a range of oil and gas exploration activities in certain areas. Since the 2011 earthquakes, local residents and environmental campaigners have been fighting Cuadrilla’s plan to restart their Lancashire operations. Large reserves of shale gas have been found around northern England and are now being explored (Picture: AFP) The gas has been hailed as a money-spinner for residents in north (Picture: PA) Lancashire County Council had also been opposed to the plan but the government forced permission through. The industry is regulated by a traffic light system, introduced after the 2011 tremors. Homeless man shoved to ground by man pretending to help him Green is zero-magnitude on the Richter scale, amber is anything up to 0.5, meaning fracking should proceed with caution and potentially at a slower rate. Red is anything at 0.5-magnitude or greater, meaning operations are suspended immediately. Cuadrilla have said the latest quakes are nothing to be concerned about because they are so low on the scale. The Government has been pro-fracking despite concerns over climate change.


Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/22/blackpool-fracking-stopped-by-earthquak e-that-is-biggest-recorded-so-far-10611561/?ito=cbshare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/

[Whitehall_Bin_Men]

The Horrendous Truth Behind Fracking The facts and truth about fracking, that the mainstream media are hiding from you, due to corporate greed

https://frackingdangerous.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/still-wondering-why -the-uk-government-is-determined-to-frack/

The Horrendous Truth Behind Fracking
The facts and truth about fracking, that the mainstream media are hiding from you, due to corporate greed
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APRIL 23, 2014 BY DENISE PATTON
Still Wondering Why The UK Government Is Determined To Frack
Still Wondering Why The UK Government Is Willing To Frack The Hell Out Of Us Despite Overwhelming Evidence Of The Horrendous Dangers?
Still Wondering Why The UK Government Is Willing To Frack The Hell Out Of Us Despite Overwhelming Evidence Of The Horrendous Dangers?

Is this not conclusive evidence that the Government in the UK has agreed to Hydraulic Fracking, (when so many other countries have rejected it) strictly for their own gains. Not only the government, look at the banks, coporations and other bodies involved in this mass ecocide/genocide toxic soup.

WAKE UP PEOPLE … TELL THEM ALL NO FRACKING NOT HERE NOT NOW NOT EVER … SPEAK UP WHILE SPEECH IS JUST ABOUT STILL LEGAL IN THE UK!!!

FURTHER UPDATED INFORMATION ON THIS STORY FROM FRACK-OFF

The fracking interests at the heart of UK government:

* Lord Browne – Chairman of Cuadrilla Resources – installed by David Cameron’s Government as “lead non-executive director” at the Cabinet Office

* Ben Moxham – ex-Riverstone Vice President (who own a large chunk of Cuadrilla) – Cameron’s Energy Advisor from 2011-2013

* Tara Singh – former Centrica lobbyist (who invested in Cuadrilla a month after her appointment) – replaced Moxham in May 2013

* Baroness Hogg – non-executive at BG Group (who own substantial fracking interests in the US) – non-executive director at the Treasury

See the fully referenced research piece at Paul Mobbs’ website:

http://www.fraw.org.uk/mei/musings/2013/20130725-behind_every_picture_ lies_a_story.html

Latest from Upton Community Protection Camp:https://www.facebook.com/UptonProtection?fref=ts
Latest News from Dart’s Daneshill site, Notts: http://frack-off.org.uk/category/daneshill
Read about Dart’s plans for Cheshire, Wrexham and Notts: http://frack-off.org.uk/dart-frack-attack-multi-well-program-in-midlan ds/
Latest from Upton Community Protection Camp:https://www.facebook.com/UptonProtection?fref=ts
New UK fracking licenses confirmed: http://frack-off.org.uk/new-uk-fracking-licenses-confirmed/