Thursday, January 20, 2011

England ...you say?

Warning over UK shale gas projects | Environment | The Guardian

Ministers are being urged to halt controversial projects to drill for shale gas over fears that it poses significant risks to public health and the environment.

A new report prepared for the Co-op warns that the full impact of drilling for shale gas — an energy resource that has sparked a frenzy of exploration in the US — should be assessed before the go-ahead is given projects in the UK.

The warning comes as mining company Cuadrillo Resources prepares to begin more drilling at a find near Blackpool, Lancashire, which it says is the first true shale gas find in Europe.

Cuadrilla Resources, which includes former BP chief and Whitehall non-executive director Lord Browne on its board, said preliminary drilling confirmed and "possibly exceeded" its expectations.

Cuadrilla is planning more extensive drilling later this month which could involve a controversial technique needed in shale gas extraction called "fracking" - when the rock is fractured using chemicals

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