No Pollution Through Fracking in Oxfordshire

Oxford’s Green Party County Councillors are presenting a motion to the County Council to urge opposition to hydraulic fracking in the County, on Tuesday 5^th November.

County Councillor David Williams, Iffley Fields and St.Marys, explains:

Oxford's Green Party County Councillors are presenting a motion to the County Council to urge opposition to hydraulic fracking in the County, on Tuesday 5^th November. Our motion is as follows:

Fracking in Oxfordshire

This Council having considered the mounting scientific evidence and the likely impact on the environment of Oxfordshire stands opposed to hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and oil, the system popularly known as ‘fracking’. The County considers that the scale of environmental damage will place a severe strain on County Environmental services and expenses to clean up the sites and will have immediate consequences on County services whilst drilling operations are in hand. Of special concern is the possible release of carcinogenic Radon gas from known pockets locked in the Oxfordshire geology. The County Council is also aware that the release of climate changing gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that will result from the extraction of more fossil fuels will contradict the Councils commitment to moving to a local low carbon economy.

With sites already identified in Bicester and Witney and other drilling locations in the County now being reviewed the County Council’s opposition to this form of extraction should be set before any Licensing Committee or District Authority with the legal responsibility of issuing a license to conduct exploratory drilling or to undertake full scale extraction production for that authority to consider as a part of its deliberations.

[Moved by Councillor David Williams, Seconded by Councillor Sam Coates.]

FURTHER INFORMATION: Councillor David Williams on 01865 765852 or 07531 328931.

Notes:

There is extensive scientific evidence against the use of hydraulic fracking, which is already banned in several countries including France, South Africa and Switzerland:

• Energy Bulletin reports on the first peer-reviewed research evaluating the possibility for fracking to contaminate underground water supplies
• Andrew Rawnsley - On frackheads and lack of commercial viability
• Gas: Fracking's backers say it will deliver a quick, cheap way of cutting carbon emissions. The latest analysis shows none of these claims stands up. Guardian 28th Sept 2012
• Gas losses of 9%
• Offshore wind better for economy than gas
• UK shale gas may be uneconomic