Fracking Go-ahead For National Parks as Controversial Infrastructure Act Becomes Law

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Weak fracking rules have officially been enshrined in law as the controversial Infrastructure Bill became an act lastย night.

The new act will see national parks and groundwater protection zones at risk from fracking as the government backtracked on amendments agreed only weeks ago to increase the safety of hydraulic fracturing for shaleย gas.

Amber Rudd, energy minister at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), said: โ€œIn the case of areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks, given their size and dispersion, it might not be practical to guarantee that fracking will not take place under them in all cases without unduly constraining theย industry.โ€

She was supported by Peter Lilley, a self-described โ€˜global lukewarmistโ€™ Conservative MP, who said fracking should be ย โ€œpursuedย energeticallyโ€.

Conservativeย Votes

The weak fracking rules were passed by the House of Commons last night in a vote of 257 to 203 with five Conservative MPs defying the governmentโ€™s stance onย fracking.

Mark Menzies MP and Eric Ollerenshaw MP both voted against Cameronโ€™s leadership. They represent constituencies in the district where Cuadrilla is applying for planning permission to frack up to eightย wells.

This is the second time in just over a fortnight that they have voted against their party on fracking. At the Report Stage of the Bill on 26 January they both voted in favour of a fracking moratorium. They were joined yesterday by fellow Conservatives Andrew Percy, Jason McCartney and Andrewย Turner.

The amendments passed on Wednesday – a watered-down version of those agreed at the Report Stage promising greater fracking safety – are identical to the ones proposed by Lib Dem peer Baroness Kramer on 5 Feb and supported by climate deniers Matt Ridley and Lord Lawson onย Tuesday.

Ambiguousย Rules

Fracking companies will now be allowed to drill horizontally under national parks and other protected areas if the wells start just outside theirย boundaries.

The new Act also does not define what constitutes a groundwater area, leaving much ambiguity. This is despite definitions already existing as laid out by the Environmentย Agency.

Tom Greatrex, Labour shadow energy minister, said: Groundwater protection zones are definedโ€”we know what they areโ€”but the Minister seems to be content to rely on the much more ambiguous term โ€œprotected areasโ€ while having no sense of what those areas are. It is vital for groundwater, and sources of drinking water, to be properly protected, and there is concern about that on both sides of theย House.โ€

Caroline Lucas, Green MP, added: โ€œIf the wording is somehow insufficient, the Minister should go away and redraft it. The Government should certainly not use that excuse for weakeningย safeguards.โ€

One Hourย Debate

Many MPs were also critical that they had only one hour to discuss the issue and there was no time to vote on many of the billโ€™sย amendments.

Lucas said the debate was: โ€œA mockery of legitimate public concerns and indeed the democratic process. The paltry hour scheduled for todayโ€™s debate is particularly disgraceful given the lack of time we had at Reportย Stage.

โ€œThese are far-reaching changes that are being discussed here. Our constituents deserve better. Parliament has let them downย tonight.โ€

Percy agreed, saying โ€œit leads many people to conclude that the Government are in league with the extraction companies or that there is something toย hide.โ€

He added: โ€œI think there is a very strong argument indeed for pausing and thinking again on this issue, particularly given what has happened to oil pricesย internationally.โ€

@kylamandel

Photo: Justin Woolford viaย Flickr

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Kyla is a freelance writer and editor with work appearing in the New York Times, National Geographic, HuffPost, Mother Jones, and Outside. She is also a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists.

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