The government has been accused of attacking democracy and privately contradicting public statements, following publication at the weekend of a leaked letter on fracking policy.

The letter, signed by three cabinet ministers, recommended taking planning decisions on fracking applications out of local control. It also said protections in the Infrastructure Act should not create fresh barriers to shale gas development DrillOrDrop report

In the letter to the Chancellor, Amber Rudd (energy), Liz Truss (environment) and Greg Clark (communities and local government) said shale gas sites should be classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure projects. If approved, this would transfer decision-making from local councils to a government-appointed planning inspector.

Full Drill Or Drop Article here…….

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A leaked government plan, published by The Telegraph today, proposed taking decisions for fracking wells away from local councils.

The 10-page document, signed by three cabinet members and sent to the Chancellor, aimed to create the conditions to establish a shale gas industry in the UK within a decade.

It was written on 7^th July 2015, just days after the decisions by Lancashire County Council to refuse permission to Cuadrilla to frack wells in the Fylde.

The signatories, Liz Truss (Environment Secretary), Amber Rudd (Energy and Climate Change) and Greg Clark (Communities and Local Government) proposed classifying fracking sites as “nationally significant infrastructure”. If approved this would give decisions to unelected planning inspectors.

Friends of the Earth, which obtained the document, described the proposal as “an attack on democracy”.

Full Drill or Drop report here…….

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Francis Egan gets a grilling on BBC hard talk, the interviewer has him squirming and certainly not smiling as he is below.

Excellent analysis and VIDEO Published January 25, 2016 | By Refracktion  here………

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“So who’s the man who’s put himself in charge of deciding Lancashire’s future? ”

According to his Wikipedia bio “He is described as an “economically liberal Conservative with a social conscience”

“Greg Clark is the Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells and perhaps most importantly, he’s considered to be the architect of the Conservatives’ localism agenda.”

The full article from Greenpeace providing more information about Greg Clarke and his “Do as I say not as I do” attitude.

Pledge to oppose a decision to go ahead with fracking here…

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Sir Philip Dilley, the recently appointed Chairman of the Environment Agency, former Group Chairman of Arup (of which he is still a Director) and former advisor to David Cameron,  was the subject of huge criticism for being on holiday in Barbados whilst the north of England was suffering the recent floods as a result of which he has resigned.

Watch this space for news on which industry with a vested interest will provide the next EA chairman.

The full story, as reported on the BBC news, can be found here…….

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Unfortunately this link only provides highlights of the article but these provide the basic information that

This is the first report of potential cytotoxicity and transforming activity of Marcellus shale gas mining flow back to mammalian cells.

• Barium and Strontium were elevated in flow back water exposed cells.

• Flow back water malignantly transformed cells and formed tumor in athymic nude mice.

• Flow back transformed cells exhibited altered transcriptome with dysregulated cell migration pathway and adherent junction pathway.

The full article can be purchased but the terms an conditions only allow personal use, however the fact that this study has been undertaken and published is enough to warrant some serious questions.

The highlights can be accessed here…….

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Residents of a community who oppose fracking in their area have taken inspiration from a festive decoration to battle on against big business and the government.

Members of the Preston New Road Action Group say they are starting the New Year with an unwavering promise to fight shale gas exploration company Cuadrilla’s appeal for the monitoring and fracking explorations at the Little Plumpton site near their homes.

Full Story here…….

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Below are the areas where they intend to withdraw the decontamination units, for those in the south this probably not of any great significance. For those in the “desolate north” this could be of extreme significance if fracking does go ahead, how will the emergency services deal with a major chemical spill or major pollution event?????

Alfreton, Derbyshire; Broughton, Buckinghamshire; Blandford, Dorset; Bovey Tracey, Devon and Somerset; Burton, Staffordshire; Canley, West Midlands; Cheltenham, Gloucestershire; East Greenwich, London; Godstone, Surrey; Hereford, Hereford and Worcester; Morecambe, Lancashire; Penzance, Cornwall; Plaistow, London; Slade Park, Oxfordshire; Southern, Leicestershire; St Albans, Hertfordshire; St Neots, Cambridgeshire; Stalybridge, Greater Manchester; Stanmore, London; Walsall, West Midlands; Wimbledon, London; Winsford, Cheshire.

Read the full story here…….

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