Frack them not us?

Wow - looking further into activities of Fylde Member of Parliament - Mark Menzies and it just gets more ugly, ludicrous and obviously self-serving. Today we read that:

[UK is planning to invest in Argentina’s controversial oil shale industry (fracking) using a £1bn export finance deal intended to support green energy, according to government documents]

Mark Menzies is the Trade Minister for Argentina and he recently (finally) said NO to fracking on Fylde (only waited 8 years for a definitive statement from him on this!)... and now it's clear he ONLY meant "no fracking on FYLDE"! He is actually fine with it ...just not where he could lose votes by being seen to support it! I hate that about his politics - that it's not about facts and experience - but about what suits Party line and someone's profits.

Contrast here between words on his website that make Fylde voters feel warm and cared for vs eagerness to frack Argentina in Business press:

MARK's WEBSITE:
[Throughout my time as the Member of Parliament for Fylde I have called for stringent and robust regulation of the shale gas industry to ensure the safety of local residents.

I have been unrivalled in raising the issue of shale gas in parliament. This has included calling for and speaking in countless debates, regularly meeting with and questioning regulatory authorities and Government departments, and even being named as the MP who has raised the issue most often.
I wrote to the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, as well as the Chief Executive of the OGA to reiterate the concerns of my constituents and call for an end to the shale gas industry on the Fylde coast.

Whatever the outcome of this assessment, I remain clear in my position that hydraulic fracturing is not suitable for the Fylde coast and I will continue in my efforts to bring about its’ end.]
...

MEANWHILE ...Mark's words in Business Press for Argentina:
[Brexit is creating an enormous opportunity for resetting the trade relationship. Argentina has one of the biggest reserves of shale oil and shale gas in the world and also considerable offshore reserves. The UK is a world leader in offshore oil technology. In April I’ll be heading up a trade delegation visiting Argentina which will include some worldleading British companies in that sector.]

more here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/22/uk-to-use-1bn-meant-for-green-energy-to-support-fracking-in-argentina

ps... what on earth are we doing throwing much needed money at fracking another country anyway? We've sufferred years of austerity, seen services cut and told it was needed - yet money earmarked for green energy will now fund fracking in Argentina!

There's no fracking NOW..

The message that fracking is OVER in the UK has been loud and strong this week but still the company currently suspended from fracking in Lancashire ( Cuadrilla Resources) are claiming they will 'proceed with works' at the site ('works' being flow-testing, tanking out liquids from site, mopping up the flooding etc - but NOT fracking). As their license expires next month and no application has yet been made to extend, it is clear that NO FRACKING will be taking place at the Preston New Road Site this year or any time soon as they'd need to reapply and that takes time.

Can the industry survive yet more set-backs after 8 years of trying and FAILING to get a drop of gas to market? Cuadrilla's UK fracking operations have brought NO income... just huge costs and a share price in the toilet and then there's the communities that make up the anti-fracking movement - they will not give up until the industry does (8 years of camps, protests, petitions, legal challenges etc makes this clear)... my estimation is that they are either hanging in for a vicious and controlling government to get elected and trash any semblence of democracy (a bit like what we have but more power/mandate) - OR - they know they're done, they know the government White Paper (due soon) will NOT include fracked gas in the plans for future energy and on top of this... they know the damage they've already done will be revealed once the Oil & Gas Authority complete their investigation and a moratorium or ban is coming and they're simply trying to string investors along?

Whatever it is - it's not fracking now, it's not making money, it's not progress and it's not settled yet... staying vigilant has always been the essential thing in this movement... but a little 'yippee!' is definately called for.

This from the article in Country Life:
[The political landscape certainly appears to have changed. The focus on climate change has sharpened and so has demand for a switch from fossil fuels, within which shale-gas extraction squarely falls, to cleaner sources. As a result, the upcoming energy white paper looks set to favour renewables such as wind and solar power over fracking. CPRE The countryside charity says:
‘CPRE is delighted to see Cuadrilla packing up and moving out of their fracking site at Preston New Road,’ says deputy CEO, Tom Fyans.

‘Our countryside is a valuable asset for our own health and well-being, and to address the climate emergency. Ending fracking is absolutely essential as it is incompatible with the UK’s climate change commitments. The UK must speed up its transition to renewable energies, and bring in steadfast policies to ensure a sustainable transition to zero carbon agriculture, restore our peatlands and essential soils, and, improve the energy efficiency of both new and existing homes.’]

Other positive articles this week alone:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/cuadrilla-packs-up-in-preston-and-uk-fracking-bites-dust-82gl7tt9k
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/fracking-hell-is-it-the-end-kmb3ntd08
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/13/dont-frack-with-us-the-vivtorious-nanas-of-lancashire-activism

AND... the one where Cuadrilla claim all is well :)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/14/cuadrilla-says-it-is-not-planning-to-abandon-fracking-in-lancashire

ps:
Just remembered another thing thanks to Joan Williams... Cuadrilla is also on the market and certainly needs to pretend everything's just fine! https://www.cityam.com/cuadrilla-owners-look-for-exit/

Day 1000 in the Cuadrilla House...

Tomorrow marks 1000 days of continuous protest at Preston New Road Rolling Roadside Protest - to everyone who's ever come, ever commented kindly, ever shared, ever gifted, every prayed, ever photographed, ever filmed, ever beeped, ever written, ever wished for this community to succeed... know that it was EVERY act that got us all through to the point where they're STILL not operating a production site here. There may be more ahead but we all know - we're up to the challenge.

Along the way... this road has been an amazing journey of joy, pain, discovery and dismay that has made for some of the most memorable and loved moments

Almost but not quite...

Quick post as there's so much talk about fracking being over - and the fear it isn't done with yet - plus the upcoming 'flow testing'... I'm personally feeling elated at yet another stall for this vile, dirty industry... excited that there is NO fracking right now or in the immediate future going to shake our lovely community... delighted that residents can at least pause the fears for a bit....

BUT... it isn't over. We must still apply huge amounts of pressure to ensure it can't claw its way back into any community, like:

-Making sure we continue to monitor the sites - particularly PNR Gate Camp that informs, alerts and records everything that happens on the site - from vehicle movements, staffing, visits, noises, smells, feels etc.. VITAL this is supported and we get more volunteers for shifts. If we lose this, we would be blind and only informed by the lies of Cuadrilla!

-Pushing fracking as a key election issue so MPs HAVE to commit to a ban on fracking in order to get a vote - speak to candidates/write to MPs/push political parties etc

-Supporting and creating events to ensure fracking doesn't quietly slip off the radar - only to come back and catch us unprepared. Events will continue at PNR - certainly Wedenesday Women's Call for Calm intend to keep meeting until this is gone. Green Mondays too that have speakers booked will continue but we perhaps won't take precious time from others who might be more help elsewhere or when/if we need to ramp up our presence again.

-Standing with other sites and campaigns to get off fossil fuels and protect the environment

...There is though indeed some pause for joy and delight that we're STILL not looking at a production site after more than 8 years of them trying

Yay our lot...