YP Letters: Council raises genuine concerns on fracking

From: Michael Farman, Willow Grove, Beverley.
East Riding Council appears to have taken heed of fracking protests in North Yorkshire.East Riding Council appears to have taken heed of fracking protests in North Yorkshire.
East Riding Council appears to have taken heed of fracking protests in North Yorkshire.

IT is encouraging to see that the East Riding Council is at last waking up to the threat of fracking in East Yorkshire.

At their recent meeting, the council passed a motion by Councillor Fraser (with only one abstention), which expressed concern. The motion requires the local authority to seek clarity on who bears cost liability for abandoned or disused facilities, and full disclosure of any materials injected through the aquifer.

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A number of councillors speaking in support of the motion went further to express their own deep concerns about the impact on tourism, the vast numbers of lorries required, and about the capability of the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive to adequately regulate the drilling companies.

This motion does not, of course, pre-empt any future decision by the council’s Planning Committee over fracking applications, but it shows that the councillors have become aware that opposition to fracking is not restricted to a few tree-huggers and camp-dwellers, but encompasses a massive number of people, perhaps a majority in the area, who are very concerned about the impact of fracking on our environment and way of life.