Hi Andy
Vanessa suggested I contact as I am not happy about the EU survey. [see post below]

After I have ticked the box to say I don’t want CSG at all – it is not the way to go, fossil fuel should be left in the ground, we need to reduce our energy waste and pursue renewables – I am then forced to continue ticking boxes about, if it could be made safe … Blaa blaa blaa. I think its a con. I suspect the stats emerging from it will be used to say – if it’s monitored etc it’ll be ok.

Let me know what you think.

Regards, Lynne

Hi Lynne,

I do not think you have anything to worry about. After the ‘overall perception’ section it goes onto ‘main potential opportunities’. These, as far as I am concerned, are mostly ‘No Benefit’ responses, although a couple could be conceded as ‘minor benefits’ or ‘don’t knows’.

It then covers ‘potential challenges’, which are just about all ‘Major Challenges’ – although again a few could be marked as just ‘significant challenges’.

Then it has ‘addressing the challenges’, which are all ‘Very Important’

It then gives the opportunity to say whether your opposition would be diminished if all these things were dealt with – to which our answer is an emphatic ‘NO’ (for the reasons you state)
There is then a section on possible actions going forward; to which I responded ‘NO’ to except for the one ‘Develop a comprehensive and specific EU piece of legislation for unconventional fossil fuels (e.g. shale gas)’ to which I said ‘Yes’, but followed up in the Further Suggestions box with: Impose a EU ban on all unconventional fossil fuel extraction and divert all research and investment into sustainable renewable projects that we will have to rely on sooner or later – with sooner being the sane option.’

Then there is a section on ”Information needed’ – all ‘Very Important’ except the last on potential employment and tax revenues; which I marked ‘Not important at all’ which is the case if we are not going to consider doing this stuff.

Finally is the ‘red herring’ question about can unconventional fossil fuels contribute a low carbon economy – an emphatic ‘NO’ again!

It ends with ‘Are you satisfied with this survey?’ Personally, Yes I am. So long as many people like you take the trouble to go through it all and put the ‘right’ answers!

I hope this helps

Andy