A report by experts at The University of Nottingham has shown that the British public is beginning to warm to the idea of shale gas. This doesn’t mean shale gas is a wildly popular alternative to other forms of energy but opinion appears to be shifting. The survey shows that despite warnings about earthquakes, water contamination, and increasing carbon emissions, the UK public increasingly approve of the exploitation of shale gas as an energy source. --
University of Nottingham, 2 August 2013
In a sign that British politicians in the leafy Weald are getting nervous about exploitation of the shale deposits under their constituencies, former planning minister Nick Herbert has spoken out about his concerns. The headline on the article says that Herbert describes fracking as the biggest threat to the countryside, although these words do not appear in the article itself. Most of his worries seem to be more about fear of the unknown than a settled perception of a threat. The media are hyping the impact of the small band of protestors at Balcombe, Herbert and his colleagues in the House of Commons will remain nervous and will feel duty bound to give voice to their constituents’ concerns. Perhaps somebody should send him Matt Ridley’s GWPF report on shale gas. --Andrew Montford,
Bishop Hill, 5 August 2013
More needs to be done to promote the benefits of fracking but it should only be carried out if there is "no risk" to the environment, a spokesman for David Cameron has indicated. The Prime Minister believes shale gas offers "exciting" potential for energy security, jobs and growth and the Government needs to do more to promote the benefits. The comments came amid increasing signs of unease among MPs about the innovative method of extracting gas for energy from shale deposits deep beneath the ground. --
The Herald, 6 August 2013
Chancellor George Osborne has sent a strong message to the Conservative rural heartlands, warning that he will fight any Tory backlash against fracking and saying that it would be a real tragedy if Britain allowed the shale gas energy revolution to bypass the UK. Osborne has already provided healthy tax breaks for the industry, asserting shale gas was "a resource with huge potential to broaden the UK's energy mix", and saying that he wanted Britain to be a leader of the shale gas revolution. --Patrick Wintour,
The Guardian, 6 August 2013
There is an energy revolution underway in the US and China that has dramatically reduced energy costs meaning manufacturing businesses are returning to the US. I want to see that kind of thing in Britain. I want to see families with lower energy bills. It would be a real tragedy for Britain to allow this energy revolution to bypass our country. It would mean we would have much higher energy costs than other countries, it would mean jobs would go to other countries and we would lose out.—
UK Chancellor George Osborne, 6 August 2013
Today [Britain’s green] consensus has fallen apart for three linked reasons. The first is the recession. Renewable energy might be cheaper in the long term but it is a new technology and hugely expensive to get off the ground. What seemed feasible in 2007 seems horribly expensive today. The second reason is the shifting debate around climate change. A number of Tories now feel that being a climate change sceptic is not just acceptable – but politically advantageous. What has given succour to the sceptics is the third reason for the energy consensus falling apart: shale gas. But Mr Letwin – and perhaps more importantly the Chancellor George Osborne – argue behind closed doors that it is stupid to commit billions of pounds to renewables when we could have a plentiful source of energy under the ground at a fraction of the price. --Oliver Wright,
The Independent, 5 August 2013
Sussex is sitting on one of the biggest pools of shale gas and oil in the world according to a leading study. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) and Advanced Research International’s (ARI) World Shale Gas and Shale Oil Resource Assessment has revealed the Weald basin holds 700 million barrels of shale oil. This makes the basin, which spreads through Kent, Surrey and Sussex, the largest onshore oil field in Britain. --Gareth Davies,
The Argus, 6 August 2013
It’s an unlikely coalition. Bianca Jagger, Natalie Hynde – daughter of the rock star Chrissie – and the odd grey-suited City commuter (“Lloyd’s broker says no”) are marching as one. The City-commuting residents demonstrating against the Balcombe oilwell are therefore singularly lacking in economic self-awareness. Their very way of life depends on cheap, secure and plentiful energy: exactly what Cuadrilla is in the business of providing. The outraged of Balcombe are put to shame by an 11-year-old local called Phoebe who told a visiting reporter that she was “for fracking” having “done a project on it” at Balcombe Primary School: “I want energy for television and internet”. --Dominic Lawson,
The Independent, 5 August 2013
Poland and the United Kingdom would like a constructive debate on shale gas to take place in the European Union, Deputy Environment Minister Piotr Woźniak said while visiting one of PGNiG's exploration licenses together with Owen Paterson, the UK's Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. “The British are as sure as the Poles are that shale reserves should be used in a country's energy mix,” Mr Woźniak said. The debate in the EU has shifted in favor of one side and opponents of shale gas are now dominating it, he said. -
-Warsaw Business Journal, 7 August 2013
