Dear Editor, Charlie Elphicke MP is choosing to support possible hydraulic
fracking near Woodnesborough. Having debated the subject with him on
radio and having attended a major public meeting on the subject in London(1), I
must ask him through your newspaper to re-consider his position on this
issue. Hydraulic fracking, using a mixture of water and chemicals to extract
shale gas from rocks, has been shown to cause groundwater contamination, air
pollution and is implicated in the recent earthquakes in the Blackpool area
which occurred whilst fracking was taking place. As an
area with
comparatively low rainfall and an increasing population, East Kent in general
should not welcome any industrial activity that uses and pollutes large
quantities of water.
Banned in South Africa and about to be banned in
France, hydraulic fracking is under investigation by the Environmental
Protection Agency in the USA after widespread problems associated with this
practice. Does Mr Elphicke
want groundwater pollution, subsidence, declining
property values and additional greenhouse gas emissions to be features of his
constituency? Since reductions of 50-70% in energy demand are possible through
improved
energy efficiency in the UK, we do not need marginal amounts of gas
obtained at the expense of our water supplies(2). Obtaining shale gas using
techniques known to be environmentally damaging is neither necessary nor
consistent with the fight against Climate Change which Mr Elphicke’s own Party
supports. Nor could it be expected that a rigorous environmental impact
assessment of hydraulic fracking would allow the activity to take place
anywhere, given the record in other countries which can be seen in detail on
line.
There is no shame in admitting you are wrong. I am sure the
community will rally behind their MP if he decides to fight fracking. Let him
now do so.
Yours sincerely Steve Dawe PRESS OFFICER, KENT GREEN PARTY
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