Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:13 pm  

Government finds a new way for the north of England to be useful.

Government finds a new way for the north of England to be useful.

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:15 pm  

excellent news

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:55 pm  

On the one hand, fracking sounds as though it will make the UK self-sufficient in energy for some decades which is not to be sniffed at, and any chance to stick up a middle digit at Putin is very tempting indeed.
It will bring jobs to the North, proper full time jobs that might even pay a decent wage.
It might even bring energy costs down but on that point I await being convinced as energy, like anything else, is priced at what you can sell it for, not for how much it costs to extract.

On the other hand, it's another fossil fuel, supply is huge but nonetheless finite and burning it will contribute to global warming, so it is not a panacea.

Local communities are being primed with suggestions that they might get some cash if a well is in their locale ... TBH I'd need more than a small amount of cash to buy a playing field to offset my concerns if I thought that my house was going to lose value or there were going to be earth tremors, pollution etc etc

It's going to be interesting.

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:58 pm  

El Barbudo wrote:

On the one hand, fracking sounds as though it will make the UK self-sufficient in energy for some decades which is not to be sniffed at, and any chance to stick up a middle digit at Putin is very tempting indeed.
It will bring jobs to the North, proper full time jobs that might even pay a decent wage.
It might even bring energy costs down but on that point I await being convinced as energy, like anything else, is priced at what you can sell it for, not for how much it costs to extract.

On the other hand, it's another fossil fuel, supply is huge but nonetheless finite and burning it will contribute to global warming, so it is not a panacea.

Local communities are being primed with suggestions that they might get some cash if a well is in their locale ... TBH I'd need more than a small amount of cash to buy a playing field to offset my concerns if I thought that my house was going to lose value or there were going to be earth tremors, pollution etc etc

It's going to be interesting.

My concern is that it will reduce the urgency with which the government attempts to find an alternative source of fuel that is both renewable and unlikely destroy the planet. We know that fossil fuels are harmful to the environment, we know that fracking has the possibility of causing environmental damage and that the sites are liable to become blots on the landscape. Being able to give Putin the finger seems like a bit of a hollow victory to me.

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:42 pm  

My issue with it is that in a tiny country like here, with big population centres close by, the environmental and health consequences of contamination of the water table could be catastrophic. Could make Fukushima look like a fart in the playground.

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:47 pm  

The North should be planning independence and put it to a vote just as the gas comes on stream. Then sell it to Boris and George at huge prices (after Boris and George have already invested billions in a pipeline).

[Durham Giant]

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:56 pm  

Dally wrote:

My issue with it is that in a tiny country like here, with big population centres close by, the environmental and health consequences of contamination of the water table could be catastrophic. Could make Fukushima look like a fart in the playground.

Possibly the most sensible post ever done by Dally

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:07 pm  

Apparently one of the major finds has been directly under Tatton. Let's see how quickly that is brought on-stream

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:09 am  

El Barbudo wrote:

... On the other hand, it's another fossil fuel, supply is huge but nonetheless finite and burning it will contribute to global warming, so it is not a panacea.

Local communities are being primed with suggestions that they might get some cash if a well is in their locale ... TBH I'd need more than a small amount of cash to buy a playing field to offset my concerns if I thought that my house was going to lose value or there were going to be earth tremors, pollution etc etc

It's going to be interesting.

I haven't read deeply on the subject, but on the basis of what I have read, this sums up my concerns too.

Re: Fracking go-ahead : Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:09 am  

Durham Giant wrote:

Possibly the most sensible post ever done by Dally

Exceptions and rules?