A Leading Green Politician has condemned the Coalition Government's proposed 'incentive ' to local Councils and communities accepting environmental damaging shale gas extraction (otherwise known as fracking.)
Green Kirklees Councillor Andrew Cooper who is also the Party's Energy Spokesperson said
The fracking process is subject to significant methane leakage which is a damaging greenouse gas. There are also a number of well documented instances of water courses being polluted. The process uses millions of gallons of water and toxic chemicals.
Government has backed environmentally damaging shale gas
extraction just as it has scaled back support for people to insulate their
homes through the Energy Company Obligation.
What the government really needs to do is properly invest in
energy efficiency measures for households so they can permanently reduce their
energy needs. The Coalitions Green Deal is a dismal failure and they have
drastically cut the Energy Company Obligation to improve the insulation of
homes. Government clearly has no interest in helping householders control their
energy demand they simply want to
It is significant that there is no claim by the PM any more that
fracked gas will reduce fuel bills for householders and it is clear that it
will have no benefit for those households in fuel poverty.
It is also significant that this policy is not being applied to
renewable energy installations demonstrating the governments growing lack of
commitment to the green economic sector.
The Government supposedly believes in ‘localism’ and allowing
Councils to make their own decisions. When Council funding is drastically cut
by central government and they are then offered money to accept fracking on
their land it is clearly nothing less than ‘bribery’. Councils should simply
have access to 100% of the business rates collected in their area with no
coercion from central government on how they spend it.
We are likely to see huge local opposition to fracking , and the
Government knows it. Right round the world Greens are supporting local
community campaigns against fracking in their neighbourhoods.
ENDS
Leo Sayer’s Australian Anti Fracking Campaign Song ‘No Fracking
Way’
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