Yorkshire has already made its feelings known about fracking, Burniston should not be exposed to it
Yorkshire has repeatedly made its views on fracking known. The practice is not welcome here in the region. Communities across the county do not want it on the doorstep, especially given all the risks it poses.
The Government ended its support for fracking in 2019 after an Oil and Gas Authority report found it was not possible to accurately predict the probability of tremors associated with the activities.
The Government’s moratorium on fracking in 2019 was not only an acknowledgement of the safety concerns but also a reflection of the sentiment in communities who faced the prospect of such projects ending up on their doorstep.
However, the moratorium does not cover the process known as ‘proppant squeeze’ – a smaller-scale type of fracking. And that is the practice that is being proposed by Europa Oil & Gas in Burniston, near Scarborough.
Campaigners in the village have made it clear that they do not wish to see any form of fracking taking place there.
Last October, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband vowed to permanently ban fracking, warning the drilling was “dangerous and deeply harmful to our natural environment”. The Government would do well to end the anxiety for communities such as those in Burniston and close all loopholes that would end proposals being put forward.
Proponents of proppant squeezing may claim that it is not the same as fracking, but people in Yorkshire are not going to be fooled.
Some experts have already warned that pollutants and chemicals from the proppant squeezing will find new pathways through the fracked rocks into the aquifers that Scarborough depends on for its drinking water. And there is also the above-ground impact to consider.