A WARWICKSHIRE MP has described a neighbouring politician’s petition against controversial fracking and underground coal gasification (UCG) as ‘irresponsible scaremongering’.
Rugby’s Conservative MP Mark Pawsey says fears that UCG could take place across a 128 square mile area of Warwickshire after the Government lifted its 2019 ban on fracking were unfounded.
He was responding to a petition launched by Leamington and Warwick’s Labour MP Matt Western, which calls for regional councils to rule out future fracking or UCG, for which there were previous plans in Warwickshire.
Mr Pawsey said the lifting of the fracking ban was due to ‘challenges we face in our energy market’ and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said: “Shale gas extraction should only take place where there is local support and it is my understanding that Warwickshire does not have any sites suitable for shale gas extraction (fracking).
“The announcement in respect of shale gas does not change the Government’s position on underground coal gasification, which has not been supported since 2016.
“I am disappointed that Mr Western has chosen to irresponsibly scaremonger in this way and urge him to set the record straight.”
In response, Mr Western challenged Mr Pawsey to ‘take a principled stand against UCG’.
He said: “My petition is perfectly clear and calls for a nationwide ban on fracking to be reinstated – and for it to include UCG.
“Clearly, there were plans for UCG in Warwickshire before and, given this Government’s record on keeping promises, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if ministers decided they wanted to reintroduce UCG as they have with fracking.
“The Warwickshire public will remember concerning discussions and planning applications about UCG from the early 2010s and we simply demand our regional authorities and Conservative MPs rule it out in our county and across the country.
“I wonder if Mr Pawsey would take a principled stand against UCG if his party suddenly decided it was needed in Warwickshire?”
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of extracting gas and oil from shale rock, which involves drilling into the earth to release gas.
It has been a controversial subject within UK communities and among MPs due to its association with minor earthquakes.
Alongside the lifting of the fracking ban in September, the Government published a new review from the British Geological Survey which concluded: “Forecasting the occurrence of large earthquakes remains a scientific challenge for the geoscience community.”
UCG, which involves similar methods of drilling to release gases, is also criticised due to the risk of polluting water supplies and huge carbon emissions.
The British Geological Survey has previously classified a 128 square mile area between Leamington, Coventry and Rugby as suitable for UCG.
The petition has been signed by nearly 3,000 people. Visit https://tinyurl.com/5c5vac4y to sign the petition.
