Telford councillors urged to oppose fracking at meeting
Councillors in Telford should oppose any applications to "frack" for gas and instead "crack on" with renewable energy, an environmental group has said.
A special meeting was called in Newport last night to discuss how the controversial energy extraction method of fracking – which involves blasting underground rocks with high-pressure jets of water to release gas deposits – could affect the borough.
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Campaign group Newport 21 told the meeting, organised by the Newport Civic Society in St Andrew's Church Hall, Church Aston, that the area was "not out of the water yet" as far as fracking was concerned. Oil and gas exploration and production firm IGAS has already acquired extraction licences for the Telford and The Wrekin areas. Cath Edwards, secretary of Newport 21, told the audience about how fracking could affect the area.
Afterwards she said: "Newport Civic Society needs to keep an eye on the planning applications going in."
She said it was important that civic leaders understood all the issues.
"I have tried very, very hard to be as objective as I can be in this presentation. I have tried to stick to information from Government and scientific reports and look for the good side – and I just cannot find it.If an application for fracking in or around Newport was submitted, we would not support it. Shale in Newport is 6km down and I do not think they would go for that but it could be explored. I think if it is explored anywhere it would be more towards Telford.
"Our message is the money could be invested in something we already have the technology for, not something we do not even know is there."
She told an audience of about 30 that "we should crack on" with renewable energy.
"People may not like anabolic digesters, wind turbines, solar panels but we have got to start saying yes to some of these things."
She warned it could take power cuts for the UK to start having a "proper debate" on energy.
Chairman of Newport Civic Society, David Parker, said: "Alternatives to the traditional methods and fracking are clearly available if we as a community are willing to investigate them and implement them."
