UK Oil & Gas Investments - Re: UKOG Stream Log - Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said:...

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."