'Bulldozing' Democracy, UK Government Poised to Greenlight Fracking Bonanza
Published on Monday, August 10, 2015
by Common Dreams
'Bulldozing' Democracy, UK Government Poised to Greenlight Fracking Bonanza
Despite increasing concern by citizens, Cameron government plans to strip municipalities of power to approve new drilling projects
The United Kingdom is on the brink of a fracking bonanza after reporting this weekend revealed plans to begin 'fast tracking' new drilling plans.
According to The Sunday Times in London, the UK government is set to unveil new guidance that "will strengthen the power of ministers to step in and wrest decisions from local authorities if planners are perceived to be obstructive," hoping to circumvent the current application process and streamline the approval
In recent years, local municipalities in the UK have been the site of fierce opposition to shale oil and gas drilling by way of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. In late June, for instance, officials in Lancashire county rejected a bid by Cuadrilla for expansive new drilling operations, in what was deemed a significant blow to the fracking industry, as well as to the administration of Prime Minister David Cameron.
Now, the federal government has issued its response. In an op-ed in the Sunday Times, energy secretary Amber Rudd assailed the current approval process for new drilling operations, which she said "dragged out for months or even years on end." These delays, she continued, could spell the "death" of a "vital national industry."
More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/08/10/bulldozing-democracy-uk-government-poised-greenlight-fracking-bonanza
= new reply since forum marked as read
