YP Letters: End subsidies to fossil fuels and invest in green technology

IN response to the letter re £356m subsidy for fossil fuels (The Yorkshire Post, May 8), successive governments have directed taxpayers cash to prop up fossil fuels which poison our air and trash our commitments to cut climate-changing emissions, despite promises to phase out polluting technologies entirely. This hypocrisy must stop.

The next Government must end all fossil fuel subsidies and guarantee that the coal industry will not receive Government funds in the future. The UK must not again become the dirty man of Europe.

Earlier this year we celebrated the first day where the UK was powered entirely without coal – and there are huge opportunities to increase green energy production in Yorkshire and across the UK if the next Government commits to long term investment that will support a future powered by clean, renewable energy.

From: Russell Scott, Frack Free Ryedale.

FRACKING firm INEOS expect us to trust them to frack for gas safely in Yorkshire. However, in recent days, reports have emerged exposing the company’s ‘very poor’ environmental and safety record at its Grangemouth refinery.

Documents released by SEPA (the Scottish equivalent of the Environment Agency) reveal that on March 1 this year, there was a gas leak under a road at the site. In May 2016 another ‘human error’ caused a major discharge of 40 tonnes of sulphur. In fact there were five other unplanned sulphur discharges in 2016 at Grangemouth. The investigation also found ‘there was also an overflowing pollution tank in April, a carbon monoxide release in breach of an environmental standard in August and a loud “whining noise” in November prompting complaint’.

Only last week workers had to be evacuated and a public road closed at Grangemouth when another gas leak developed at the site.

This catalogue of errors by INEOS demonstrate a complete disregard for the safety of their staff and nearby residents.This is not a company we can trust to roll out the fracking process safely across a large area of Yorkshire.

From: Andrew Mercer, Guiseley.

NOW all voters in North Yorkshire have elected pro-fracking councillors, isn’t it time for the objectors to accept that the people have spoken?