Fracking will be allowed under national parks, MPs decide

Ministers were forced to accept a series of new regulations from Labour on 26 January after facing defeat by concerned backbenchers, but the final amendments passed by MPs on Monday unpicked many of them. Green Party MP Caroline Lucas accusing ministers of “doing the dirty work of fracking companies for them”, but the government move will be welcomed by the nascent shale gas industry.

The Labour amendments had ruled out fracking for shale gas in national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs), sites of special scientific interest and groundwater source protection zones (SPZs). A Guardian analysis revealed that this measure ruled out 40% of the large area of England being offered by the government for shale gas exploration.

But energy and climate change minister Amber Rudd told MPs on Wednesday: “In the case of AONBs and national parks, given their size and dispersion, it might not be practical to guarantee that fracking will not take place under them in all cases without unduly constraining the industry.”

Rudd also refused to define the meaning of “protected areas”, potentially leaving most groundwater SPZs without any protection at all. “We must not rush this now, because we would risk putting in place restrictions in areas in a way that does not achieve the intended aim of the condition, or that goes beyond it and needlessly damages the potential development of the shale industry.”

David Cameron has said the government is “going all out” for shale gas in the UK, claiming it would create thousands of jobs and cut reliance on imports. But opponents argue that high-pressure fracturing of rocks to release gas risks health and environmental impacts and will undermine the country’s climate change goals.

Labour’s shadow energy minister Tom Greatrex said allowing fracking under protected areas could lead them to be “ringed by shale gas operators fracking.” He said: “The range of protections [accepted by the goverment in January] cannot be cherry-picked. It is vital for groundwater, and sources of drinking water, to be properly protected.”

“What a mockery this is making of legitimate public concerns on fracking, and indeed of the democratic process,” said Lucas, who criticised the limited time the government has made available for the debate.

Other regulations reversed on Monday included residents being notified on an individual basis of shale gas operations in their area and gas leaks other than methane being recorded.

Greenpeace energy campaigner Simon Clydesdale said: “That the government has backtracked to weaken fracking regulations, including those that should protect our vital drinking water supplies, simply proves that we need a moratorium on fracking. Despite Labour’s efforts to strengthen them, the regulations passed today are so full of loopholes that they cannot be trusted to protect our water, countryside or climate.”

Nick Clack, senior energy campaigner at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “The Government claimed to have introduced strong legal safeguards on fracking to protect the countryside and communities. Now ministers have undermined that claim and further eroded public confidence.”

Damian Carrington, the guardian 

This article first appeared on the guardian

Edie is part of the Guardian Environment Network