| Press release
To: glamorgan.gazette; gemeditorial; Bridge FM; newsgathering.wales@bbc.co.uk
Subject: Fracking hell – Bridgend beware!
Dear Editor,
I had heard a little about the disastrous impacts of fracking in North America, but it was only this week that I have come realise just how serious the threat is here in Bridgend.
Fracking is the controversial method of extracting natural gas from shales and coal seams, often utilising highly toxic chemicals in the process. It is the focus of a newly released film called ‘Gasland’ that I sincerely hope reaches Bridgend soon. It graphically depicts how fracking interferes with groundwater and can contaminate water resources with devastating consequences for humans and wildlife. The release of the film prompted a news report about a fracking project starting close to Blackpool, and there was a passing reference to South Wales being a good prospect for it too. This got me curious.
A little digging has revealed that the whole South Wales coalfield area has already been subdivided and licensed out (by the DECC) for potential fracking to four main companies. Centrica are the big name player involved around Bridgend (alongside a local company, Coastal Oil & Gas). Test drilling has already been allowed to take place by BCBC near Pencoed and Llangeinor. The results were apparently encouraging – from the money men’s point of view. Centrica have publicly stated their intention to commence full scale operations at two sites – near Llangeinor and near Ogmore Vale / Lewistown – in 2012, subject to planning approval. Those plans were submitted to BCBC last summer and must be close to a decision soon – so time is of the essence if we are to ensure these applications are dealt with properly. I have reason to doubt this is happening.
The big issue with fracking is groundwater and water resource implications. As someone who is geography/geology trained, I appreciate how complex these issues are. No-one at BCBC seems aware of this in the least. If you check out the the documentation for the planning applications (P/10/500/FUL and P/10/462/FUL) – available online – you find lots of concern from BCBC over relatively petty surface issues like traffic, noise and light pollution and not a single mention anywhere of groundwater concerns. The surface impacts are indeed modest, and based on these alone, Chief Planning Officer, Tony Gore, has astonishingly already decided that an Environmental Impact Assessment is not necessary for these applications!
Centrica’s own consultation documents also skillfully avoid the issue, and stress the benign surface impacts. One document tucks a blunt enough question in at the back, as too whether Centrica can guarantee there will be no groundwater issues. It simply lists a few precautions it will put in place as a response. So that is NO GUARANTEE then. A watertight guarantee (excuse the pun) is indeed impossible.
In the light of evidence emerging all the time about the possible negative consequences of this technology, and the evidence that BCBC has completely failed to address the correct issues, it must surely be incumbent on BCBC to put an immediate moratorium on these planning applications until all due diligence is complete. I would happen to concur with Professor Kevin Anderson of the renowned Tyndall Centre and Manchester University, who said this week: “If we are serious in our commitment to avoid serious climate change, the only safe place for shale gas remains in the ground”. We have to break our dependency on fossil fuels. Bridgend could and should be the focus of renewable energy technology and production – not the focus of horror stories when fracking hell breaks loose.
A lot more information is a available via the Bridgend Greens blog – address below.
Andy Chyba
Bridgend Green Party
Blog: https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/
Mobile: 078 1066 3241
Email: greens@chyba.go-plus.net |
Bridgend's Green Leftie 