Evidence of Public Interest Issues Submitted for Session 2 - Environment

Evidence of Public Interest Issues Submitted for Session 2 - Environment

Evidence of Public Interest Issues submitted for session 2 - Environment

CW&C Working Group investigating Unconventional Hydrocarbon Exploitation on13.11.14

Main Issues

  • Contamination of air, ground and water and adverse effect on climate change;
  • Industrialisation of countryside with noise and light pollution and invasion of heavy traffic;
  • Damage to fragile built and natural environments, landscape character, ecosystems, wildlife; and habitat of protected species from extraction, processing and burning of the fuel.

Detailed Issues to be addressed

  • Inadequate and incomplete Environmental Risk Assessments;
  • Inadequate or non-disclosure of chemicals in fracking fluids;
  • Contamination of environment by chemicals and NORMS;
  • Treatment and disposal of NORMS;
  • Impact of methane leakage on environment and climate change (86 times worse than Co2);
  • Known causes of environmental contamination, particularly from casing damage and spillage;
  • Seismic activity with cumulative effects increasing risk of damage to wells, aquifers and sensitive installations such as at Ince, Elton and Capenhurst;
  • Insufficient knowledge and study of local geology and possibility of extensive contamination via faults and aquifers due to creation or exacerbation of fractures/pathways in the rockbed;
  • Fresh water use and potential shortages in recognized drought zones;
  • Potential dewatering of aquifers with coal bed methane extraction;
  • Industrialisation of countryside/agricultural areas and protected landscape areas;
  • 24/7 Noise and light pollution adversely affecting people, livestock and wildlife;
  • Loss of openness of countryside including land in greenbelt;
  • Damage from related infrastructure works including earth stripping for sites, roads and pipelines, widening existing lanes and removing trees, shrubs and hedgerows;
  • The traffic movements of lorries delivering equipment, chemicals, radioactive material, fresh water and ‘post-drilled’ water to and from the well sites on often busylocal roads causing nuisance, danger of accident and spillage and damage to public highways;
  • Risks of handling large volumes of chemicals and dangerously polluted “produced water”;
  • Risks of escapes of toxic chemicals and gases, endangering livestock, wildlife, and human health with air, ground and water pollution;
  • Lack of disclosure on proposed processing and storage locations, treatment and disposal for contaminated ‘post-drilling water’ with a current abrogation of responsibility displayed by exporting material to other areas.

Attendees expected Phil Coombe, James Cameron, Matthew Bryan, Fiona Young,Dianne Parrish, Peter Benson and Steven Springfield as CWaC residents. Jake White, Naomi Ludhe-Thompson (Friends of the Earth) and DrDoug Parr (Chief Scientist of Greenpeace UK) as expert witnesses and invited speakers.

Other Material to be submitted in Evidence List of sources and references submitted separately

JAC/PH/ 01.10.2014

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