YP Comment: Fracked off - time for reason over Kirby Misperton fracking

This debate has been allowed to become so toxic that reasoned opinion, by both fracking advocates and opponents, has been drowned out by the serial scaremongerers and their increasingly spurious arguments.

As activists set up a protest camp at Kirby Misperton in the hope of stopping fracking firm Third Energy’s proposed operations which were approved by North Yorkshire County Council last year, Friends of the Earth have been rightly admonished by the Advertising Standards Authority for making ‘misleading’ claims.

By stating erroneously that fracking could cause cancer, and lead to the contamination of drinking water, Friends of the Earth’s assertions have undermined the legitimacy of the valid planning arguments which have been used to oppose plans to extract shale gas.

Its actions also sit uneasily with those who people who support the organisation’s charitable endeavours, namely raising awareness about countryside issues, but who do not wish to see their donations used to bankroll an overtly political organisation.

With tensions rising in North Yorkshire, both sides need to temper their language. They also need to remember that Britain needs to safeguard future energy supplies in order to keep the wheels of industry turning. If fracking is not part of this equation, what do they propose instead?