https://youtu.be/M58mA6KWn2k

Tories mark anti-fracking protesters 'terrorists and extremists' (23 Nov 2016)   

To silence opposition to fracking in the UK, anti-fracking campaigners are being grassed up as being "terrorists" and "extremists".

RT HD, News UK, 23 November 2016.

https://youtu.be/M58mA6KWn2k

'Tory U-turn on fracking regulations will leave safeguards totally inadequate'

Government seeks to lift a ban on shale gas drilling in drinking water protection zones, key wildlife sites and under national parks. Without these strong rules, fracking should not be allowed in this country

Abstract:

On Tuesday, in a committee room in the House of Commons, the government will try to sneak through fracking regulations that are totally inadequate, completing their U-turn.

In January, under pressure from the public and MPs, ministers caved in and agreed to a crucial Labour amendment to the Infrastructure Bill. This ensured several safeguards had to be met before fracking could go ahead. It meant that fracking could not take place in areas where drinking water is collected or in protected sensitive areas. These areas include Britain’s glorious national parks and our vitally important wildlife sites. 

Amber Rudd, now secretary of state for energy and climate change couldn’t have been clearer during the debate. She said: “We have agreed an outright ban on fracking in national parks, sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and areas of outstanding natural beauty.”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/26/tory-u-turn-on-fracking-regulations-will-leave-safeguards-totally-inadequate?CMP=share_btn_tw

Just Released: 100+ New Studies Demonstrating the Risks of Fracking

Abstract: 

For the first time, the compendium includes a section on fracking infrastructure, examining the impact of pipelines and compressor stations on health and safety in New York. Physicians for Social Responsibility, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization of physicians, nurses and other public health professionals, joined with Concerned Health Professionals of New York to release the report nationally and send the new report to Gov. Cuomo and Health Commissioner Zucker, with a letter urging the state to put a hold on gas infrastructure expansion until and unless their safety can be demonstrated through comprehensive public health and environmental assessments.

http://ecowatch.com/2015/10/14/health-risks-fracking/

http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/fracking-compendium.pdf

PLEASE SIGN THIS WSCC WEBSITE PETITION!

http://epetition.westsussex.public-i.tv/epetition_core/community/petition/2907#div_sigs

If we can get 3000 signatures, then we can force WSCC to debate this issue and hopefully divest their Unethical Pension Fund Investments in Fracking Companies such as Cuadrilla, IGas & Celtique Energie.

You MUST have a valid West Sussex Postcode to sign. Please share by email, Facebook and Twitter.

We Call on West Sussex County Council to commit to a program of divestment away from unethical, unsocial and/or non-environmental industries in its Pension Fund.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11359057.Revealed__The_Sussex_council_cash_invested_in_fracking/


Background information

The WSCC Pension Fund website states "The Pensions Panel has directed the fund managers, acting in the best financial interests of the scheme, to consider, amongst other factors, the effects of social, environmental and ethical issues of the performance of a company when considering the acquisition, retention or realisation of investments for the scheme."

However, the Pension Fund has more than £82.5 million invested in the fossil fuel industries. It is a proven fact that fossil fuels are a significant contributor to greenhouse gasses and climate change.

More than 80% (or £66.3 million) of WSCC's fossil fuel investments are in companies known to be wholly or partly engaged in the process of hydraulic fracturing.

The WSCC Pension Fund also holds investments in companies such as Celtique Energie whom are currently applying for, or hold, permissions for drilling of oil and gas in West Sussex. WSCC has a legal duty to seek the best financial return from its investments and so, arguably, has an interest in the success of such companies. Such a perception - whether unfounded or not - could lead to damage to the reputation of the Council and its decision making process.

More than £4.5 million is invested in the Arms Trade via BAE Systems. BAE Systems has received much criticism in the past for its involvement in cluster munitions, arms sales to regimes known for Human Rights abuses and its involvement in nuclear weapons production. BAE Systems manufactures the UK's nuclear submarine fleet and airborne nuclear defense missiles for the French Air Force.

In 2006, the Norwegian Government removed BAE Systems entirely from its own Pension Fund "because they develop and/or produce central components for nuclear weapons...companies that produce weapons that through normal use may violate fundamental humanitarian principles shall be excluded from the fund."

More than £17.59 million of the WSCC Pension Fund is invested in the tobacco industry.

In total, £104,627,731.64 of the Pension Fund is invested in industries that cannot be said to be ethical, social or environmental in consideration.

The Petitioners are aware that WSCC has a legal duty to ensure best financial returns from its investments and so we ask that the Council commits itself within the next year to a 5 to 10 year period of divestment from the fossil fuel, arms and tobacco industries. This will allow the gradual removal of these industries from the Pension Fund without causing harm to any financial returns.
Please note that signatures must include a valid West Sussex Postcode to provide proof that you live, work or study in West Sussex

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH HYDRAULIC FRACTURING: NETWORK FOR PUBLIC HEALTH

DIGITAL MAG "SOUTH EAST FARMER": FRACKING ARTICLE: (p01+p05)

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?pnum=1&eid=93b8ecba-ce23-4607-ba22-7e630a73e891&skip=true

It will be a BIG fight to stop FRACKING going ahead and Frack Free Sussex needs ALL OF YOU!

EVERYONE PLEASE READ THIS! 

The UK government is to open up thousands of square miles to drilling for shale gas reserves, potentially leading to hundreds of rigs dotting the countryside. About 32,000 square miles are believed to have potential for shale development, with the biggest concentrations of wells expected to be in Lancashire and the Sussex Weald. 

From the Sunday Times article: The process will begin on Tuesday (17th Dec 2013) when Michael Fallon, the energy minister, unveils a report detailing the environmental and social impact of fracking, the controversial process that frees gas by blasting rock formations with jets of water and chemicals. The government is also considering changes to fast-track the creation of hundreds of fracking sites by changing the system for awarding licences to companies that want to drill for gas and oil. Shale regions would be divided into boxes as small as a few hundred acres, each with its own licence giving companies the right to prospect. Fallon is also expected to spell out some of the disruption likely to be experienced by residents, including up to 48 lorries a day arriving at fracking sites — known as gas pads — for up to two years while they are being built. Often the traffic will have to travel along winding lanes; in some cases new roads could be required. 

PONDER, TEXAS - DO WE REALLY WANT SUSSEX TO LOOK LIKE THIS?

The government is expected to conclude that the risks of despoiling the countryside and polluting water supplies are not enough to outweigh the benefits of fracking. Supporters of shale gas believe it has the potential to supply Britain’s energy needs for decades and bring down household bills. Ministers have already said communities can expect to receive £100,000 in compensation for each well dug in their area in addition to 10% of the turnover they generate. Fallon, who has warned that residents “right across the south” should be ready for possible fracking, is expected to say that the area of the country covered by licences could be increased substantially from the current 7,300 square miles. About 32,000 square miles are believed to have potential for shale development, with the biggest concentrations of wells expected to be in Lancashire and the Sussex Weald. One shale oil drilling site - in Balcombe, West Sussex - has already been the focus for angry protests. Not even national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty will be exempt from potential drilling. Lawrence Carter, energy campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “Local environmental impacts from fracking are likely to be considerable, whether you’re talking about truck movements, water use or flaring. “Residents in villages where fracking is proposed live there because the areas are tranquil and clean. They will be neither if fracking is allowed.” 

PONDER, TEXAS - SEE HOW CLOSE DRILL PADS ARE TO HOUSES?!

The environmental report to be released this week, drawn up by the consultancy Amec, will be open to consultation for >>>>> 12 WEEKS <<<<< before the government announces early next year how it plans to award the licences. At present, companies are given licences to prospect across broad regions. Cuadrilla Resources, the drilling firm that claims to have found nearly six decades’ worth of domestic supplies under Lancashire, won a single licence covering 1,200 sq km (463 square miles) of the region when the government last held an auction in 2008. Its licence area in the southeast is spread over 800 sq km. The fast-track process under consideration to replace this would mean that the maximum block of land covered by one licence could be as small as 10 sq km, according to Whitehall sources. 

The change is designed to prevent a single company from scooping up too many of the most attractive areas and to speed up development. When companies are awarded licences they commit themselves to drilling a certain number of wells within six years. If they fail to comply, the licences are surrendered back to the government. By increasing the number of licensed zones — with drilling obligations — the companies will be forced to drill or lose their rights. George Osborne, the chancellor, has said shale gas could bring “thousands of jobs, billions of pounds of business investment, and lower energy bills”. However, Amec is understood to have played down the potential for large-scale job creation. Rather than the 74,000 jobs initially hoped for, it is expected to estimate that between 15,900 and 24,300 will be created. Beauty spot drilling bid: The fracking industry faces the threat of new protests after submitting an application for 24-hour drilling in the South Downs national park, writes Jon Ungoed-Thomas. 

Celtique Energie has submitted the proposal for an exploratory site to be sunk next year in Fernhurst, West Sussex, in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Lord Cowdray, who owns a 16,500-acre estate in the South Downs, is among locals opposing the drilling site. He has registered his ownership of the verges adjacent to the site, which could block access for lorries. He has also said he will legally challenge any attempt to frack oil or gas from his land. Marcus Adams, founder of Frack Free Fernhurst, said: “If they get approval to drill here, then nowhere is safe.” He said the company would risk facing similar protests to those seen at an exploratory drilling site at Balcombe, West Sussex, where more than 1,000 protesters set up camp in the summer. Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP for Chichester, whose constituency covers Fernhurst, has said it would be “very unlikely” he would support drilling in such a sensitive area. http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Environment/article1352770.ece — at South Downs National Park.