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Revealed: Cuadrilla planning to start drilling without completing groundwater monitoring as required by law

news release

A Friends of the Earth investigation has revealed that fracking company Cuadrilla are planning to start drilling in Lancashire in the next few weeks before completing the 12 months of groundwater monitoring required by law.

The Environment Agency have confirmed to Friends of the Earth that Cuadrilla started water monitoring in July 2016 but Cuadrilla’s plans show they want to start drilling next month, 4 months short of the 12 months’ groundwater monitoring required by law.

MPs insisted on a year of water testing before the fracking process started so that it would be possible to assess whether any contamination of water is then caused by fracking and how much. Drilling the gas wells now could impact on the baseline data, making the 12 months of monitoring insisted on by Parliament redundant.

Cuadrilla’s permit from the Environment Agency has not been updated since these new rules became law, and allows drilling after just 3 months of groundwater monitoring.

The department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently issued guidance that fracking companies should submit their plans for 12 month ground water monitoring with their environmental permit application to the Environment Agency for approval.

Friends of the Earth has written to the Environment Agency to ask that they update Cuadrilla’s permit so that it complies with the law, and warned that not doing so could be unlawful.

If Cuadrilla goes ahead with drilling in March, it could happen before the High Court has had a chance to rule on whether the company’s plans are unlawful.

Local residents are challenging the Westminster Government’s decision to force fracking on Lancashire despite the council voting to reject it, and the first stage of their court hearing is due to be heard on 2 March 2017. If they win Cuadrilla’s fracking plans at the site could be halted altogether.

Donna Hume, Friends of the Earth senior climate campaigner, said:

“Cuadrilla should not even be considering putting a fracking drill in the ground without having completed the groundwater monitoring required by law. We hope the Environment Agency will make sure that fracking companies aren’t allowed to cut corners.

“The very possibility that this could happen sends a worrying sign about the state of regulation of this risky industry in the UK.

“But even the best regulation couldn’t remove all the risks of fracking or prevent its impact on climate change, Westminster should follow the lead of Scotland and consult the public about whether fracking should be banned.”

ENDS

Editor’s notes:

1. Legislation requiring 12 months of ground water testing – link here

2. Cuadrilla permit information – link here

3. BEIS Guidance on Hydraulic Fracturing Consent says companies should “provide details of their proposed plans to undertake 12 months monitoring in their environmental permit application” and goes on to state that “any groundwater monitoring which is included as part of the environmental permit will need to be approved by the EA. See pages 5 and 6.

For press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust

 

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