Britain will use new powers to determine whether to allow shale gas firm Cuadrilla Resources to carry out fracking at two sites in northwest England, overruling local planning decisions.
Britain is estimated to have substantial amounts of shale gas trapped in underground rocks, and Prime Minister Cameron has pledged to go all out to extract these reserves to help offset declining North Sea oil and gas output.
Yet fracking applications have struggled to find approval from local communities concerned about noise and environmental impact. To address this, the government has changed planning rules to make its own decisions on shale gas appeals.
Local government minister Greg Clark has informed Lancashire County Council of the minister’s intention to himself determine Cuadrilla’s appeal on two rejected permits in the area.
“Ministers have decided to recover Cuadrilla’s appeals for shale exploration in Lancashire,” the government said in a letter to the council dated Nov. 26.
Britain changed its planning rules in August to allow government intervention to approve or reject shale gas drilling permits and give priority to appeals involving shale gas projects.
Lancashire County Council earlier this year rejected two Cuadrilla applications for fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, underscoring some local community concerns about the technique.
Cuadrilla appealed against the rejections.
“If Cuadrilla is given permission to frack in Lancashire, it will be against the wishes of its residents, and its council, both of which have made their views against this risky process very clear,” said Donna Hume, senior energy campaigner at environmental group Friends of the Earth.
Cuadrilla said it had noted the minister’s decision and was looking forward to presenting its appeals case.
Finance minister George Osborne on Nov. 25 confirmed the creation of a shale wealth fund that would receive up to 10 percent of tax revenue from shale gas developments for investments in communities affected by the projects.
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