Fracking won’t be accepted in Yorkshire on any scale or under any name
The mere mention of fracking sends a shiver down the spine of many of our communities here in Yorkshire. The fact of the matter is that places such as Kirby Misperton made their views clear when they came out in their droves to protest against previous attempts to introduce fracking.
The response when former Prime Minister Liz Truss lifted the moratorium on fracking was another reminder that sentiment had not changed. Thankfully the moratorium was reinstated by her successor Rishi Sunak.
While proponents of ‘proppant squeezing’ may claim that it is not the same as fracking, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck then people will call it what they think it is.
And proppant squeezing sounds very much like at least a very close cousin of fracking. Friends of the Earth even say they have a legal opinion which shows it's the same as fracking.
Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume is right to call for the controversial method of gas extraction that an energy company wants to test in North Yorkshire to be a part of the fracking ban.
She highlighted during a Westminster Hall debate that while the UK has had a moratorium on fracking since 2019, the current legal definition only applies to operations above certain fluid volumes, therefore creating a loophole that allows companies to pursue small-scale fracking under a different name.
The Government must show that it is on the side of the people and close this loophole and put an end to the idea of any form of fracking coming to our communities once and for all.
Just because the plans are on a much smaller scale, does not mean that there are no risks associated with them.
There’s no denying that energy security is of increasing importance but fracking is not the answer.