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This week for the podcast I visited the third meeting for Ramsbottom Against Fracking.
What do you know about fracking? For me personally, other then it’s been all over the news and some minor research, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know much.
Thankfully, I was recently invited to attend a Ramsbottom Against Fracking meeting. With this invitation in mind, I set off on a chilly full moonlit night on the 22nd of February, destination Lolos Vegan and Raw (the meeting location) to find out exactly what fracking is, and how it affects us.
Here is an outline of what I have learnt from the meeting, and by doing my own research for the podcast.
Recently, Hutton Energy Group have been accepted to take on the license for the investigation to see if fracking is feasible in our area. This was all made possible by the government overturning Lancashire Council’s decision to not allow fracking.
So what’s so bad about fracking? Here’s a video that helps to explain what the fracking process is EU Environment video.
I found it interesting that it actually explains that even to get deep geo-thermal energy, something that is seen as green energy, fracking is required. The difference is that in this instance, chemicals are not required in the same way in which they are in fracking for natural gas and the extraction isn’t gas, it’s heat. It could still mean tremors and minor quakes though, it’s not like we have any chance of geo-thermal energy in this country, but knowing fracking as a process is used in green energy too, was interesting to me.
I reference in this podcast episode an image of plans which were for land to be fracked in America, here is a screen capture from the video by Dr Anthony Ingraffea:
In this video, John Blaymires, COO of IGAS states “We don’t expect the prices to drop dramatically because of shale gas, but what we do think it can do, is stop the prices from rising”
This is something which I have found to be repeated, over and over in various online media, not looking particularly at anti fracking sources, just news media, here are three:
The Guardian: Lord Browne: fracking will not reduce UK gas prices
The Telegraph: Fracking won’t lower energy bills, says Ed Davey (energy secretary)
The BBC: Osborne: Fracking may not slash household energy bills
I want to say, please don’t take mine, or anyone else’s word for it. Do some research, there are plenty of sources out there online, you will see what I have read too. The majority of pro fracking reasons are monetary based. The cons against fracking range from everything from pollution and contamination of the drinking water supply, to destruction of the land around wells, to simply reducing the supply of drinking water in general around the site’s due to it’s demand. Is this worth it?
If you have listened to this podcast episode and you want to help, how can you get involved? You can attend a meeting, the next one is on the 14th of March at Lolos Vegan and Raw. Please click on any of the links below to find the social media pages for Ramsbottom Against Fracking
Upcoming Events:
Here are some of the upcoming events on the Ramsbottom calendar, check out the events calendar here for most upcoming Ramsbottom events.
UkePunk live at The Doghouse Cellar Jazz Bar
Ramsbottom Against Fracking 4th Meeting
Links:
Ramsbottom Against Fracking Facebook Group
YouTube: The Simpsons Fracking
YouTube: CCTV America Report on Fracking
YouTube: BBC Worldwide: Does fracking cause Earthquakes?
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