Fracking, as has happened at Balcombe, is not going to go away, given the determination of some parts of the government to push ahead with it. There are arguments for and against, but, to my mind, the arguments against far outweigh the arguments for.
Determination to push ahead seems to include tilting the playing field in favour of the companies doing the exploring. Water supplies remain a big issue in the south east, with more and more pressure on reserves (we know that round here after our debates with South East Water about where they're going to put the next reservoir. And fracking uses a lot of water - millions of gallons for one well, and the wells only last a couple or three years before they have to drill somewhere else. So you'd think the fracking companies would have to buy their water at least at the same rate as everyone else, if not a bit dearer. Answer - no, they're going to get it cheaper than we are. “Shale Drillers Offered Water Cheaper Than U.K. Residents”. Not only are they getting it cheaper, but it's a fair bet that all our costs will go up as the water companies have to do more to find the water we need as they're supplying so much to the frackers.
Generally speaking fracking operates by going downwards a little way and then going sideways a long way. So it is possible for them to start drilling some way outside a village like Ringmer, and end up with holes underneath the village. Greenpeace have launched a campaign to encourage people to join with others in refusing to allow this to happen. If you own a house, your rights of ownership extend to the ground underneath it. If you don't want a hole drilled under your house, you have the legal right to stop it. Needless to say, the fracking companies are trying to get the law changed to take this right away from landowners. But you still have it at the moment and you can use it. Wrong Move is a site where you can find out if you are at risk of fracking occurring near you (we already know Ringmer is at risk), and you can sign up to say you do not want it near your home. When you do it, you will see how many other places in the locality have also signed up. Worth doing, I'd say.
Determination to push ahead seems to include tilting the playing field in favour of the companies doing the exploring. Water supplies remain a big issue in the south east, with more and more pressure on reserves (we know that round here after our debates with South East Water about where they're going to put the next reservoir. And fracking uses a lot of water - millions of gallons for one well, and the wells only last a couple or three years before they have to drill somewhere else. So you'd think the fracking companies would have to buy their water at least at the same rate as everyone else, if not a bit dearer. Answer - no, they're going to get it cheaper than we are. “Shale Drillers Offered Water Cheaper Than U.K. Residents”. Not only are they getting it cheaper, but it's a fair bet that all our costs will go up as the water companies have to do more to find the water we need as they're supplying so much to the frackers.
Generally speaking fracking operates by going downwards a little way and then going sideways a long way. So it is possible for them to start drilling some way outside a village like Ringmer, and end up with holes underneath the village. Greenpeace have launched a campaign to encourage people to join with others in refusing to allow this to happen. If you own a house, your rights of ownership extend to the ground underneath it. If you don't want a hole drilled under your house, you have the legal right to stop it. Needless to say, the fracking companies are trying to get the law changed to take this right away from landowners. But you still have it at the moment and you can use it. Wrong Move is a site where you can find out if you are at risk of fracking occurring near you (we already know Ringmer is at risk), and you can sign up to say you do not want it near your home. When you do it, you will see how many other places in the locality have also signed up. Worth doing, I'd say.
