Britain approves controversial shale gas fracking project
NAN-F-23
Gas
London, Oct. 6, 2016 (dpa/NAN) The British Government approved a controversial fracking project in North-Western England on Thursday, overruling a local authority decision and angering anti-fracking campaigners.
Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, overturned a decision by Lancashire County Council and approved horizontal fracking of shale gas at a site near the coastal town of Blackpool.
However, he rejected an application for fracking on a nearby site pending the resolution of road safety concerns.
Cat Smith, an opposition Labour lawmaker for the nearby Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency, said Javid’s approval of the project was an “affront to local democracy”.
“Not only is this decision undemocratic, it could open the floodgates for more fracking across the country if the government is willing to overturn decisions made by local councils,” environmental group Friends of the Earth said.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves using high-pressure water, sand and sometimes chemicals to force gas out of underground shale deposits and collect it at the surface. (dpa/NAN)
OYE/AMY
Edited by Damilola Oyewole and Abdullahi Yusuf