YP Letters: Don't be distracted by issues around fracking

LAST week, on the other side of the Pennines, Cuadrilla started preparing to frack, despite pending legal challenges from residents.

This was easily missed amid the white noise around Cuadrilla’s complaint to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) against us.

For clarity, the ASA closed the case informally without making any ruling on our claims or their accuracy.

This is in contrast to the formal ruling that the ASA made on the inaccuracy of misleading claims by Cuadrilla in 2013.

In our case, Friends of the Earth agreed not to reuse an old leaflet, or repeat some specific wording, because the case was taking time away from vital campaigning – we are, after all, talking about an out-of-date leaflet from two years ago.

But, one thing is certain, we continue to stand by our facts. Indeed, the scientific evidence against fracking is stronger than ever.

We won’t be distracted from the real issues or silenced from telling people the truth.

Our environment needs protecting; it’s why we believe we should heed expert warnings and why we won’t apologise for rejecting this risky industry.