Reply to my letter of 21st May– from Graham Stuart MP 23rd May 2014 “Thank you very much for writing to me. Like you I’m determined to ensure that any developments in the area are safe and life-enhancing. Rathlin has been clear that it will never frack from the site at Crawberry Hill. Its planning permission specifically excludes it and the site is purely for exploration of conventional oil and gas. It is unfortunate that some have tried to stir up unfounded fears and misunderstandings for their own purposes. It may be that developers will come forward in future with proposals to frack for oil and gas in this area. We will need to assess such proposals on their merits when they are made. Each one will have to seek planning permission and get regulatory permissions from the Health & Safety Executive, the Environment Agency and the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Each will be subject to local consultation and I will be determined to ensure that local people are fully, honestly and properly consulted. When or if such a proposal comes forward I know the whole community, including Councillors, will want to know how our aquifer will be protected and to understand the risks involved. The process of waste removal and treatment will also have to be explained in detail and conclusions reached as to the acceptability of the proposed approach. Nothing is going to be done in a underhand way or without local people being able to weigh up the pluses and minuses. The misinformation about existing conventional sites is being used to spread unease and fear which I very much regret. I am no expert but I’m assured that the mini frack is not hydraulic fracturing as defined by the regulator and is frequently used in conventional oil and gas exploration as it provides information about the whole geology of the area. Again, some have used the term to confuse and scare the public and suggest that Rathlin is acting in an underhand way or in breach of its permissions. This is simply not true. We have had more than 2000 wells drilled in this country over the last 100 years, many through aquifers, and there has not been ‘inevitable’ pollution as a result. We need to make sure that we take a measured view, informed by the science, and not jump to one conclusion or another. Kind regards Yours sincerely Graham Stuart
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 16:10:00 +0000
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