New Government measures to support fracking

[ALEO Admin]

On 17 May 2018, the Government announced new measures to support the development of the British shale gas industry.

These measures include:

- a £1.6 million shale support fund over the next 2 years to build capacity and capability in local authorities dealing with shale applications

- Setting up a Shale Environmental Regulator and new Planning Brokerage Service Streamlining to improve the regulation process for shale applications

- a consultation on the principle of whether the early stages of shale exploration should be treated as permitted development

- Consulting on the criteria required to trigger the inclusion of shale production projects into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime

The proposed new measures have angered critics of fracking who argue that the Government is avoiding investing in green energy.

Labour’s shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey responded that fracking "should be banned, not promoted", and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas described the measures as ‘absolutely shocking’ on Twitter and called them a ‘green light for climate breakdown.’

For more information, see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new- ... xploration

and https://www.localgov.co.uk/Whitehall-la ... age-/45317