Minister defends Liz Truss plan to lift fracking ban

Fracking has often been the subject of protest
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A Cabinet minister has defended controversial plans to lift the ban on fracking as part of new Prime Minister Liz Truss’s emergency support package on energy bills.

Ms Truss looks set to face criticism for breaking a 2019 manifesto pledge to halt fracking unless scientific evidence shows “categorically” it can be done safely.

But levelling up secretary Simon Clarke said the current energy crisis, partly caused by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, meant it was necessary to look at all domestic sources of gas and energy - including fracking.

“We have to look at all forms of energy extraction,” Mr Clarke said. “If we want energy self sufficiency, we have to look at every source including clearly new nuclear, more renewables....But we also ought to look at technologies like fracking.”

The move, which could see the ban introduced in November 2019 lifted within weeks, is likely to raise questions over the Government’s commitment to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and to move to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Ms Truss’s appointment of Jacob Rees-Mogg as Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary has raised fears among climate activists that the Government’s net zero pledge could slide. Mr Rees-Mogg has previously called for an expansion of North Sea oil and gas extraction and has argued that the move to net zero could be too disruptive and costly.

But Mr Clarke told Sky News: “The net zero commitment that the government has made by 2050 is critical. It’s something I helped to push for when I was a backbencher and is something which I passionately believe, unlocks, frankly, the greatest energy security as well as economic opportunity. But in the near term, we need all kinds of gas as a transition fuel.”

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Fracking involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer in order to release the gas inside.

But it has been opposed by climate campaigners and some local communities because the process can cause earthquakes.

Although large shale gas fields have been identified across the UK, mainly in northern England, successful drilling has only taken place at one site in Lancashire by the energy firm Cuadrilla. But that was halted following repeated opposition and protests.

Mr Clarke said community consent would be at the heart of any changes to the Government’s energy policies but, speaking ahead of Ms Truss’s major announcement on energy, did not give any further details on how local residents would have their say.

He added: “Our wider framework on energy policy is not altering but our short term ability to get the oil and gas that we need to prevent Putin being able to effectively try and blackmail us into submission is something we have to press ahead with.”

Experts have argued that as well as causing earth tremors, fracking could take decades to extract significant amounts of gas and will not make any impact on the global gas price which the UK is exposed to.

Lord Deben, a former Conservative environment secretary who chairs the Government’s independent Climate Change Committee, said this week that re-starting fracking would not alleviate the current energy bills crisis and that ministers should focus on renewables energy sources like wind and solar.

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