Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill

Margaret Greenwood Excerpts

Wednesday 19th October 2022 Commons Chamber

[Margaret Greenwood (Wirral West) (Lab)]

The Government must ban fracking once and for all. It is an outdated, dangerous and expensive way to produce energy. It will not provide the clean, secure energy that our country needs, nor will it help us to meet our legally binding commitment to net zero. As Friends of the Earth has pointed out, fracking risks contaminating water, it poses risks to public health and the environment and it is unlikely to reduce energy bills. The Government’s written statement of November 2019 said that the moratorium on fracking would

“be maintained until compelling new evidence is provided which addresses the concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity.”—[Official Report, 4 November 2019; Vol. 667, c. 56WS.]

Likewise, the Conservative party manifesto of 2019, on which Members opposite stood and were elected, said:

“We will not support fracking unless the science shows categorically that it can be done safely.”

Nothing has changed, and I ask the Minister to explain what he thinks has.

The recent report by the British Geological Survey found:

“Forecasting the occurrence of large earthquakes and their expected magnitude remains a significant challenge for the geoscience community.”

Recently, the Secretary of State has said that

“tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us to be in the national interest”.—[Official Report, 22 September 2022; Vol. 719, c. 40WS.]

So it appears that as well as being reckless the with economy, the Government are being reckless with the environment and the health and safety of communities. The Climate Change Committee has made it clear that moving away from fossil fuel consumption will both benefit households, as it will reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices, and reduce emissions.

The Government speak of consent, but reports that households could be handed £1,000 to consent to fracking in their area are of real concern. Greenpeace has rightly labelled that as a cynical ploy and said that the Government must be hoping they

“can buy off people’s concerns while they are struggling with the cost of living crisis.”

There currently exists a petroleum exploration and development licence, PEDL 184, covering an area of north-west England that includes my constituency. The licence allows a company to pursue a range of oil and gas exploration activities, subject to the necessary drilling and development consents and planning permission.

No wonder my constituents are worried. They have made it abundantly clear that they do not want to see fracking. We on these Benches will stand up for our constituents today and oppose fracking. The Members opposite should stand by their manifesto commitment and do the same.