Monday 29 June 2015

Lancashire councillors vote against Cuadrilla's fracking plans

I have just received this message from Richard Casson of Greenpeace:


Amazing news -- Lancashire just said no to fracking!

In a resounding move that will send shockwaves through the fossil fuel industry, Lancashire councillors voted overwhelmingly against fracking firm Cuadrilla's plans to drill for shale gas.

This is a huge victory for people power. Fracking would be bad news for Lancashire because it could contaminate water and pollute the air.  And it would be bad news for all of us, because burning more fossil fuels like shale gas could lead to catastrophic climate change. It's a win that will be felt far beyond Lancashire's borders.

Click on the image to share it on Facebook and celebrate!
 

In Lancashire, local people have been rallying outside county hall for days. But for the past four years they've run an incredible, grassroots campaign that's inspired so many of us. They've fought hard to win this -- and just last weekend, 65,000 Greenpeace supporters backed their local fight once more by signing an emergency petition to Lancashire council.

This morning I was in Preston. I was lucky to be there outside Lancashire county hall when the news came through and a huge cheer echoed through the crowd. People were hugging each other and celebrating -- the atmosphere was electric!

This is a victory for all of us - and a great surprise because councillors were under huge pressure from the fracking industry and the UK government to let Cuadrilla go ahead.

But over the past months and years, local residents, and organisations across the UK have campaigned to keep fracking out of Lancashire. We’ve signed petitions, emailed Lancashire councillors, and attended protests and fracking action camps.

Today all that hard work has paid off, so please click to share the good news:
https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/fracking-victory

Of course, Cuadrilla and other companies will keep trying to get fracking permits and start pumping chemicals into our soil. But we’ll keep fighting them every step of the way. And now we know the power we have against them, with each victory we will be one step closer to a frack-free UK -- for good.

For now, though, we can celebrate. Thank you - once again - for everything that you've done and continue to do.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brent Lickspittle Councillors would have let it happen and allowed them to tear down a library in order to do so.

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group said...

Beware of appeals processes! It took the DWP more than one round in the Royal Courts of Justice and -- according to Private Eye -- some of the most expensive lawyers that taxpayers' money could buy to achieve the fuller unfurling of destructive 'welfare reforms' such as dismantling of the Independent Living Fund.

And regarding global warming, fracking, and days in court, I remember a talk from a rep for the Parliamentary Office for Science & Technology regarding global warming. He said that the energy expended in air conditioning systems added to global warming. Consider prospective court proceedings against a local authority's 'no fracking' decision being held on a 40deg C day in a court with no 'aircon' contributing to the arguments. I would imagine that the proceedings would not take long to reach a 'no fracking' outcome!