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A megastate in the US and a small town council in the UK have reached the same conclusion about fracking. The refusal of a drilling permit for an exploration well in the town of Little Plumpton in Lancashire (UK) has been described by one of the councillors as “one of the biggest planning decisions ever” made by the council. Councillors voted 10-4 in favour of rejecting the application.

The decision was made after significant public backlash and consideration of evidence presented to the council. A similar application in the nearby town of Roseacre Wood was also rejected. This decision flies in the face of enormous pressure from the push of British Prime Minister David Cameron to get fracking going in England.

In New York, after seven years of intensive research into the potential implications of shale gas mining in the State and an initial moratorium instituted in 2008, fracking was officially banned in the State on 29 June 2015.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner, Joe Martens said: “After years of exhaustive research and examination of the science and facts, prohibiting high-volume hydraulic fracturing is the only reasonable alternative. High-volume hydraulic fracturing poses significant adverse impacts to land, air, water, natural resources and potential significant public health impacts that cannot be adequately mitigated. This decision is consistent with the DEC’s mission to conserve, improve and protect our State’s natural resources, and to enhance the health, safety and welfare of the people of the State.”
The State of Maryland also declared a moratorium earlier in June.

Leader of Karoo advocacy group, Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG), Jonathan Deal, said: “These jurisdictions are joining more than a hundred others that have come to the same conclusion. Shale gas mining poses documented environmental and financial risk on a large scale. The process of fracking, in even the most favourable financial and geological environments, has failed to deliver the sustainable financial, job and energy benefits promised by its backers. It is daily being exposed as a disastrous alternative to gas from more conventional sources.

“When the leaders of communities numbering tens of millions formally ban fracking, it is surely a very strong encouragement for other leaders in all countries to take notice. America is an energy‑ and job-hungry country too, and they are equipped to use gas without delay. The fact that these states reject fracking as a source of energy is a warning that should be taken seriously.

“President Obama was ill-informed when he stated in January 2012 that America had 100 years of energy from so-called natural gas, and President Zuma has twice stepped into the same trap by rashly calling shale gas an economic game changer for South Africa.

“If fracking is let loose in South Africa, by the time that the results are evident, Mr Zuma will no longer be president and he won’t have to face the music to answer for a decision that essentially favours Shell and defies science. It’s not a game changer, it’s a modern Pandora’s box waiting to be opened.”

Julius Kleynhans, Head of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum concurred: “A comparison between the discourse in South Africa and New York bears a striking contrast. It is clear that South Africa has not taken the documented risks associated with shale gas mining as seriously as New York. New York also adopted a significantly more open and inclusive approach to the process, involving the public throughout the investigation. We are only starting to see this attitude coming through in the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on shale gas. Without the findings, recommendations and identification of information gaps expected to flow from the SEA, it would be impossible for our government to make a justifiable decision on favour of proceeding with shale gas exploration.”

“TKAG and AfriForum are monitoring developments in South Africa closely and we will respond appropriately at the right time,” Kleynhans concluded.

Issued by TKAG