On September 16th, High Peak Green Party members joined local people in Eckington,
Derbyshire, to protest against plans by INEOS to frack in the area of Marsh Lane.
The Green Party oppose fracking for many reasons. The history of the fracking boom in the U.S. is one horror story after another of contaminated air, water, and land. Our government claims that it will be different here - more strictly regulated. But are we really willing to take that risk? But the main reason that we, in the Green Party, oppose fracking is that climate scientists tell us that to avoid catastrophic climate change almost all of already proven fossil fuel resources must remain in the ground. Why spend time, money, and energy on searching yet another fossil fuel, when we should be investing in our renewable resources?
Recent polls show that only 17% of people in Britain are in favour of fracking and the figure is falling every year, while support for renewables is rising as people see that technologies have made great progress and that many of the problems of intermittent supply are being solved.
So why is our government insisting on actively promoting fracking? It's unpopular with voters, certain to damage local environments and will almost certainly destroy more local jobs than it creates. Many governments in Europe and states in the USA have banned or placed a moratorium on fracking. This week, fracking was banned in Scotland.
But despite being so unpopular, the fracking lobby is well connected in circles of power - as this video shows.
Make your voice heard.
Write to Derbyshire County Council Planning department at The Planning Department, Derbyshire County Council, Shand House, Dale Rd South, Matlock DE4 3RY or click here to email. The Eckington Against Fracking Website has plenty of information to help you oppose the planning application.
Sign the petition to ban fracking in the UK.