New government plans to push fracking on unwilling communities
Submitted by Claire on Thu, 2018-05-17 12:10Consultations close 25 October - respond today!
Check out these guides to help you respond: Friends of the Earth and the Green Party (Keith Taylor)
The consultation on making shale gas exploration 'permitted development' has now been published. You can tell them your views on this in their public consultation here. Watch this space for further updates (deadline 25 October)
Friends of the Earth have a petition out to stop the government from forcing fracking on communities, read more about it and add your signature here
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Fracking is deeply unpopular, but the government seems determined that minor details like local democracy cannot be an obstacle to the industry. Today's ministerial statement by Greg Clark,Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government makes that clear.
Two consultations have been announced:
1. 'On the principle of whether non-hydraulic fracturing shale exploration development should be treated as permitted development, and in particular on the circumstances in which this might be appropriate'.
2. 'On the criteria required to trigger the inclusion of shale production projects into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime.' [i.e. decided by central government alone]