More Than 6,000 Sign Parliamentary Petition to Ban ‘Small-Scale Fracking’

A coastal anti-fracking group’s petition to change the law has gathered more than 6,000 signatures but is still far short of the threshold required for Parliament to consider a debate.

Frack Free Coastal Communities (FFCC) and local residents opposed to a gas drilling rig in Burniston, near Scarborough, want the Government’s moratorium on fracking to be expanded to include “activities with smaller volumes of liquid”.  

It follows Europa Oil & Gas’ application to North Yorkshire Council to search for gas near the North York Moors National Park, using a “proppant squeeze” method to extract the gas after installing a 98ft (30m) drilling rig on the site. 

The proppant squeeze technique has been described as “small-scale fracking” and has been accused by some of being a loophole in the UK’s moratorium on the fossil fuel extraction process. 

However, Europa has maintained that “it is a misconception that there is a loophole” in the fracking moratorium. 

The petition, which needs 10,000 signatures for a response from the Government and 100,000 signatures for Parliament to consider a debate, states:

“We ask the government to close what we feel is a loophole to help protect communities from harm. We believe not doing so could slow the essential transition towards clean, renewable energy.” 

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Professor Chris Garforth, chair of FFCC’s steering group, said:

“The ban on fracking was imposed in 2019 after drilling for shale gas in Lancashire caused earthquakes.  

 “But it only applies to high volumes of frack fluid – more than 10,000 cubic metres in total or more than 1,000 cubic metres for each individual frack. There is no scientific basis for this threshold.” 

 He added:

“Europa are asking permission from regulators to use up to 500 cubic metres of fluid for a single operation at the Burniston site.” 

Proppant squeeze procedures have been regularly used in the UK for several years, and industry experts consider the technique low volume, unlike the process formally termed “hydraulic fracturing”.   

The gas drilling rig plan in Burniston has faced cross-party opposition in North Yorkshire, including from the Reform-led Scarborough Town Council and David Skaith, the county’s elected mayor.  

Speaking to the LDRS, Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said:

“I’m probably going to try and push for a debate as well, and I’m hoping that political pressure will lead to small-scale fracking being included in the moratorium and the ban.” 

Friends of the Earth lawyers recently wrote to Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy, urging him to close what they called a loophole in the current fracking moratorium “as a matter of urgency”. 

The environmental group said that having different definitions for fracking was creating confusion, and that the moratorium must be widened to cover all types of fracking, regardless of the volume of the injected fluid. 

Ms Hume has not recently had direct discussions with Mr Miliband about the gas rig plan, but has been speaking to Michael Shanks, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy. 

Ms Hume said she was “very optimistic” about the definition of the moratorium being expanded, and added:

“But obviously, I want North Yorkshire Council to chuck it out, that would be very helpful.” 

Prof Garforth noted that if the definition of the moratorium is expanded, it

“may come too late to affect the planning decision at Burniston directly”

but added that

“there are further regulatory permissions Europa would need, which would have to be refused if government acts within the next few months”.

He said the petition was “one part of a growing upsurge of voices urging government to extend the ban” and highlighted that “it’s not just about the local situation – it asks for all fracking in the UK for onshore oil and gas to be banned”.  

Europa Oil & Gas has said its scheme would be positive for the local economy and “no one is going to notice” its presence if the plan is approved by North Yorkshire Council.  

The petition can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/728912