Scarborough and Whitby MP Holds Meeting on Burniston Drilling Plan

Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume is preparing to host a public meeting this Saturday, focusing on the proposed drilling exploration in Burniston, where developers plan to use a technique known as ‘proppant squeezing’.

Alison Hume is using the event to reinforce her call for the current ban on fracking to be extended to specifically include this procedure.

The event is the latest in a series organised by the MP to highlight "the strength of local opposition" to the application submitted by Europa Oil and Gas. North Yorkshire Council’s planning department is currently preparing to decide whether to approve or block Europa’s application.

Ms Hume has invited local councillors to attend the latest ‘Ask Alison’ meeting to listen directly to residents' concerns. Constituents have already raised a parliamentary petition on the matter, which has reached 10,000 signatures, meaning the government will be required to issue a response.

In statements released ahead of the meeting, the MP drew a clear link between ‘proppant squeezing’ and conventional fracking methods, arguing the new technique should be outlawed.

Ms Hume stated:

"If it looks like fracking, talks like fracking and walks like fracking then it probably is fracking. I am campaigning hard for the Government to extend the moratorium on fracking to include ‘proppant squeeze’ so that we close this loophole and ban fracking for good."

The procedure, which Europa Oil and Gas are hoping to perform in Burniston, typically uses a smaller volume of liquid than traditional fracking techniques and is not currently outlawed. Ms Hume warned that if the application is allowed to proceed, oil and gas companies would "pile in with applications to exploit the loophole, which is why it needs to be closed and closed permanently".

Speaking about the purpose of Saturday’s event, Ms Hume said:

"The purpose of the meeting on Saturday is really a follow p to my very successful public meeting a few months ago where constituents asked me to go away and find out things.

And one of the things that they did ask was could I use my powers as an MP to convene some councillors from the area to listen to their concerns about fracking.

So I'm really pleased to say they've got local councillors coming along on Saturday to listen.

The proposals by Europa oil and gas are absolutely unacceptable and we are opposing it with every breath in our body."

The MP also reiterated that she has been deeply studying the technical details of the proposal.

"I'm an MP that likes to literally drill down the detail and that's what I'm doing so that when I meet my constituents this Saturday at the second Ask Allison about fracking public meeting, I've actually got some detailed information to give them.

The constituents have raised the parliamentary petition that's reached 10,000 signatures and so the government will have to respond on that.

And so Saturday is just another opportunity for residents to tell North Yorkshire councillors how they feel about this proposal and really engage with them and say, 'Please do what you can to make sure this doesn't happen."

The focus on the proposed loophole comes as Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, announced in September that permanent legislation to outlaw fracking would be introduced at the earliest opportunity.

Regarding the broader political climate, Ms Hume noted:

"Ed Milliband has said that the Labour government will ban fracking and I've always said if it looks like fracking, talks like fracking and walks like fracking, then it probably is fracking. And therefore, we need to get this proppant squeeze included so that the loophole is closed and no other business, you know, that has a license, there are lots across the UK, can use it to drill in our beautiful area.

If it happens in Burniston, it'll happen elsewhere. So, we are on the fracking front line."

The MP detailed recent discussions on 'proppant squeezing' which have took place during a round table event she hosted at the Labour Party conference.

"I had a private round table the labour party conference and brought together the lowcarbon energy forum and the labour party environmental group track free coastal communities, we had somebody from Ed Milliband's office, we had friends of the earth. It was a really good round table where we started to go into the weeds of smallcale fracking.

And this phrase proppant squeeze which you Europa oil and gas claim is used by the water industry and we are having trouble finding evidence of when it has been used. But given that it it's a industry norm, we're still saying it is fracking. It's fracking at a smaller scale. It uses a slightly less water than traditional fracking methods.

And we're looking into the details because prior to the moratorum fracking the Preston new road in 2019 there was a 2.9 magnitude earthquake and just looking at the volumes of the water used in that and comparing it to what Europa oil and gas are proposing to use at Burniston and we think that they possibly will be using greater volume of liquid."

The recent round table was also attended by Ed Miliband’s Parliamentary Private Secretary Connor Rand MP, Andy MacNae MP, Friends of the Earth’s Abdi Suleiman, Alex Chitty of the Low Carbon Energy Forum (LCEF), Ben Carter from the Society for Environmental Research and Advocacy (SERA), and members of Frack Free Coastal Communities, Chris Garforth and John Buckley. 

Details about Saturday's event can be found at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/alisonhumempscarboroughandwhitby/1898692