Photo call: Campaigners hand in petition to Trafford Council saying no to gas drilling in Davyhulme
Local residents and campaigners will be handing in a petition calling on Trafford Council to say no to gas drilling in Davyhulme, at Trafford Town Hall on Wednesday morning.
Over 1,300 Trafford residents have signed the petition, which calls on Trafford Council to declare Trafford a “Frack Free Borough”, and to oppose the extraction of unconventional gas, including coal bed methane and shale gas, because of the unacceptable risks to neighbouring communities, the climate and the local environment.
Ali Abbas, lead climate and energy campaigner at Manchester Friends of the Earth said:
“The overwhelming support we’ve had for our petition shows how many people think it would be a dereliction of duty for Trafford Council to give the go-ahead to gas drilling, especially in built-up areas where it puts the health of local people and the environment at risk.”
“If Trafford Council really cares about the climate and the welfare of its residents, the last thing it should do is allow drilling for gas.
“Instead, the council should focus its efforts on supporting a wider take-up of energy efficiency and renewable energy, which would bring down bills and cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as creating more jobs for local people.”
Trafford Council’s planning committee [1] will decide on Thursday whether or not to grant permission for the extraction of coal bed methane [2] from a site in Davyhulme.
Photo call: 9am, Wednesday 8th October, outside Trafford Town Hall on Talbot Road. (Contact: Ali Abbas, 07786 090520)
ENDS
CONTACTS FOR COMMENT
Ali Abbas, Manchester Friends of the Earth, 07786 090520
Pete Abel, Manchester Friends of the Earth co-ordinator, 07951 642858
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
[1] The Planning Committee meeting will take place at 6.30pm, in Committee Suite, Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road, Stretford, M32 0TH. The drilling application is available on the Council website.
[2] Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is gas which is trapped in coal seams. To extract CBM, companies must ‘de-water’ the coal seam by drilling vertically and then horizontally (for up to 1 kilometre) and pumping out vast quantities of water that has been in contact with the coal for centuries. This releases pressure in the coal seams, and allows the gas to flow. Although CBM extraction does not always involve fracking, the chemicals used in drilling muds can be just as toxic those used in fracking, and there are the same risks of spills and leakages. And because CBM is typically found at much shallower depths than shale gas (up to 1200 metres underground for CBM, compared to 2000 – 3000 metres for shale gas), risks such as groundwater contamination are increased.
For more information, see the Friends of the Earth briefing.
[3] Manchester Friends of the Earth is an award-winning environmental campaign group, raising awareness and lobbying for policy changes at a local, regional, national and international level. The group consists entirely of volunteers, and its campaigns are funded by membership fees and individual donations. Up-to-date information is available on the group’s website: www.manchesterfoe.org.uk Manchester Friends of the Earth is a Licensed Local Group of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
[4] Manchester Friends of the Earth has endorsed Manchester: A Certain Future, an action plan for the city of Manchester to cut its carbon emissions by at least 41% by 2020. For more information, visit www.manchesterclimate.com