Frack Free Lancashire & Central Lancashire Friends of the Earth Press Release
Sunday 28 June 2015 – Immediate release, Contact 07940 006783
“Seventeen North West MPs and MEPs have joined thousands of Lancashire residents to call for a halt to fracking”
The call comes as Lancashire County Council prepares to decide tomorrow (Monday 29 June) whether or not to grant Cuadrilla permission to drill and frack four wells at Preston New Road near the village of Little Plumpton in the Fylde. [1]
The MPs and MEPs signed a joint statement expressing serious concerns about the risks that fracking poses to people’s health and the environment and calling for any fracking applications to be withdrawn or refused planning permission. [2]
They join a growing number of people and organisations calling on councillors in Lancashire to reject the applications, including:
· 850 elected officials from New York State [3]
· medical charity Medact [4]
· chemicals charity CHEM Trust [5]
· over 300 Lancashire businesses [6]
· over 90,000 people from across the UK [7]
· 11,000 Lancashire residents who formally objected to the Preston New Road plans [8]
Jasber Singh from Central Lancashire Friends of the Earth said:
“We’re delighted that MPs and MEPs from across the North West have joined the growing call to put fracking on hold.
“Fracking isn’t just a threat to people’s health and the local environment, it also undermines action on climate change.
“Over 11,000 Lancashire residents have objected to the plans to frack at Preston New Road. We urge councillors to stand up to pressure from officers and Cuadrilla, and protect residents and the environment by rejecting these unnecessary and unwanted fracking plans.”
The Development Control Committee meets on Monday 29 June to decide on the plans for Preston New Road. The Frack Free Lancashire alliance of local community groups opposing fracking is urging residents to join a rally outside County Hall, Preston, from 9am.
ENDS
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
1. Lancashire County Council: Agenda of Development Control Committee on 23 June:
council.lancashire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=118&MId=4919&Ver=4 Preston New Road site deferred to Monday 29 June.
2. The 17 North West MPs who have signed the joint statement on fracking are:
· Rosie Cooper MP (West Lancashire)
· Yvonne Fovargue MP (Makerfield)
· Kate Green MP (Stretford and Urmston)
· Margaret Greenwood MP (Wirral West)
· Theresa Griffin MEP (North West)
· Andrew Gwynne MP (Denton and Reddish)
· Sir Gerald Kaufman MP (Manchester Gorton)
· Barbara Keeley MP (Worsley and Eccles South)
· Afzal Khan MEP (North West)
· Rebecca Long-Bailey MP (Salford and Eccles)
· Justin Madders MP (Ellesmere Port and Neston)
· Michael Meacher MP (Oldham West and Royton)
· Lucy Powell MP (Manchester Central)
· Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South East)
· Cat Smith MP (Lancaster and Fleetwood)
· Jeff Smith MP (Manchester Withington)
· Julie Ward MEP (North West)
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TKwI4N68h4GErxZiT_V30z0RNCwSMjsuNs0–uzUTMg/edit?usp=sharing)
3. Letter from New York State elected officials to Lancashire County Council:
http://www.nyelectedofficials.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/EOPNY-Letter-to-Lancashire.pdf
4. Medact: Health professionals call for an immediate moratorium on fracking due to serious risks to public health: http://www.medact.org/news/new-report-health-fracking-the-impacts-opportunity-costs/
5. CHEM Trust: Chemicals from fracking could cause significant pollution and damage to wildlife:
http://www.chemtrust.org.uk/chemicals-from-fracking-could-cause-significant-pollution-and-damage-to-wildlife/
6. Friends of the Earth: Over 300 Lancashire businesses say no to fracking:
7. Friends of the Earth: Fracking update: “guinea pigs” send anti-fracking message to Lancashire Council:
http://www.foe.co.uk/news/fracking-update-guinea-pigs-send-anti-fracking-message-lancashire-council
8. http://frackfreelancashire.org.uk/cms/?p=841
