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Government Can Step In To Fast-Track Fracking 13th August 2015, 01:52 Ministers have been granted the right to take decision-making on controversial shale gas applications away from local authorities in a bid to fast-track fracking. Under the new measures, local authorities will have to forfeit the right to determine an application if they are found to be taking too long to make a decision. The Government has made clear it is going "all out for shale" in an effort to counter declining North Sea oil and gas output. Britain is believed to have substantial amounts of shale gas trapped in underground rocks. But attempts to exploit the research have been met with fierce opposition from local residents and environment campaigners. In recent months councils have turned down applications in potential shale areas including Lancashire and Sussex. Critics have branded this latest announcement a Government attempt to run "rough shod over democracy". It will see the final say on permits handed to the Communities Secretary Greg Clark who will "call in" applications when council take longer than the statutory 16 weeks to make a decision - unless they are granted an extension. Mr Clark will also be able to take charge of determining appeals against planning rejections on a case-by-case basis. All call-ins and appeals over shale applications will be prioritised by the planning inspectorate. Mr Clark said: "There is huge potential right across the country for safe and sustainable use of shale gas, to provide a clean long term energy source and create British jobs and growth. "People's safety and the environment will remain paramount and communities will always be involved in planning applications but no one benefits from uncertainty caused by delays in planning decisions. "By fast-tracking any appropriate applications today's changes will tackle potential hold ups in the system." Opponents say fracking, which involves extracting gas by hydraulic fracturing, can cause earthquakes, pollute water supplies and cause more climate emissions. There are also concerns it could lead to inappropriate development in the countryside, damage house prices and cause more climate emissions. Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint said the Conservatives have "consistently ignored genuine and legitimate concerns" about fracking. She said: "Now they are going a step further by denying local communities a say in decisions about whether it should go ahead. "In June they issued planning guidance giving local residents 'the final say' over wind farm applications. "However, when it comes to shale gas, they are saying the secretary of state should have 'the final say' and are clearly guilty of double standards."
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said: "We need more secure, home grown energy supplies - and shale gas must play a part in that. "We can't have a planning system that sees applications dragged out for months, or even years. We need a system that delivers timely planning decisions and works effectively for local people and developers." The government's announcement is seen as a response to Lancashire County Council's recent rejection of Cuadrilla's shale gas applications after more than a year of deliberations. But the council is unhappy at the suggestion that they delayed on purpose. They point out this was the first such application in the UK so it was bound to take extra time to decide on complex technical issues. They also point out that Cuadrilla actually asked them to delay to get more time to solve traffic issues. A spokesman told BBC News: "It would be very unfair to suggest that we didn't go as fast as possible. This was the first decision in the UK on fracking so there was a lot of pressure on us to get it right." Daisy Sands from Greenpeace said: "The contrast between [the government's] view that local councils should be 'masters of their own destiny' and the new provisions announced today is staggering. "Local residents could end up with virtually no say over whether their homes, communities and national parks are fracked or not. "There is a clear double standard at play - the same government that is intent on driving through fracking at whatever cost has just given more powers to local councils to oppose wind farms, the cheapest source of clean energy. The government is riding rough-shod over democracy to industrialise our most beautiful landscapes and damage the climate." Ken Cronin, chief executive of UKOOG, the onshore oil and gas body, said: "Experience has shown that the planning process is unwieldy and the time taken for planning decisions has soared from three months to over a year, causing delay and cost and this is not in the interests of local people, the industry, or indeed the British people. "It is right that the government is acting to ensure that local people can have their say and that the highest standards of safety and environmental protection are met, but also ensuring that the planning process itself is fit for purpose." A CBI spokesperson said: "Shoring up our energy supply for the future is critical for businesses as they look to make long-term investment decisions. "Shale gas could play an important role in UK energy and it is important that the planning process works in a timely manner so that industry is able to get on and explore its potential."
Shorter's Fear - this share will unwind not too shore I would want yo be short here!!!!
Update - PEDL143, Holmwood, Weald Basin, UK UK Oil & Gas Investments PLC (LSE AIM: UKOG) is pleased to announce that the Planning Inspectorate has upheld Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings) Plc's ("Europa") appeal against Surrey County Council's refusal to grant planning consent for the drilling of one exploratory borehole and short term testing of the Holmwood prospect ('Holmwood') in the PEDL143 licence in the Weald Basin, Surrey. Therefore planning consent for the well has now been granted. This is a major step-forward to the successful completion of UKOG's farmin to the PEDL143 licence announced on 29 June 2015. On completion of UKOG's farm-in with Egdon Resources U.K. Limited ("Egdon"), the Company will hold a 20% licence interest in PEDL143. An application for planning permission to drill the Holmwood prospect on PEDL143 was submitted in 2008 and was dismissed by Surrey County Council in 2011. A planning appeal in 2012 was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate. Europa successfully challenged this decision in the High Court in 2013. In 2014 the Court of Appeal upheld the 2013 High Court judgment in the Company's favour and a second planning appeal was heard at an eight day public inquiry in April and June 2015. The Planning Inspectorate issued a decision to allow the appeal on 7 August 2015. Stephen Sanderson, UKOG's CEO commented: "We are delighted with the outcome of the planning appeal. We now look forward to concluding the farmin with Egdon and to expanding our licence holding in the Weald, our core business area. The Holmwood well provides the Company with a valuable opportunity to leverage our proprietary knowledge and experience of the adjacent Horse Hill discovery to the benefit and future success of the PEDL143 partnership." UKOG's interest in Holmwood: Subject to the grant of planning consent for the Holmwood-1 well and subject to receipt of the necessary approval from the Oil & Gas Authority, UKOG will pay a 40% share of the Holmwood-1 exploration drilling costs in order to acquire a full 20% working interest in PEDL143 from Egdon. UKOG's share of well costs will be capped at £1.2 million net to UKOG (i.e. 40% of a gross Holmwood-1 well cost estimate of £3 million). Gross well costs above £3 million, should they arise, will be met by UKOG, Egdon and other partner's pro-rata according to their working interests in PEDL143. Qualified Person's Statement: Stephen Sanderson, UKOG's Chairman, who has over 30 years of relevant experience in the oil industry, has approved the information contained in this announcement. Mr Sanderson is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and is an active member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
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