Wednesday 14 December 2011

Things are moving again - sign the NEW petition

After a lapse of some weeks, this is the third post on this blog in two days so PLEASE READ the two posts below this one as well.

There is a new petition here:
http://www.petitions24.net/permis_beaumont_de_lomagne_non_au_gaz_de_schiste 

The petition is calling for a rejection of the Permis Beaumont de Lomagne in the Lot, Dordogne and T&G, as well as the rescinding of all existing permits and a general tightening up of the law passed in July which only banned commercial hydro-fracking. It still allowed companies to go ahead and get the gas out if they could do so without hydro fracking. It also allowed for experimental fracking for research purposes. A cynic may interpret that as using fracking to find a new way of fracking which is not called fracking...

But this misses a critical issue which is that while the prospect of 'easy' energy is dangled in front of oil companies and governments, research and development into alternative and renewable sources will be greatly reduced. Also the drive to reduce the use of all energy derived from carbon based fuels will also slow down. If you are in any doubt about this, witness Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto agreement yesterday on the grounds that they could not reduce their consumption and withdrawal would mean they could not be fined for missing their target - brilliant! Oh yes, and they have massive reserves of shale gas.

Petitions in France work. They were in no small part responsible for July's law but they need to get to 100,000 (or so) before they have any effect. So far there are fewer than 600 signatures on this new petition. Let's see if we can get that into the thousands before the end of the week.

Sign the petition now:
http://www.petitions24.net/permis_beaumont_de_lomagne_non_au_gaz_de_schiste
After you sign the petition you will get an email from Petitions24.net asking you to confirm that you are the person you say you are. Just click the COMFIRMER link in the email.

 Pass it on.

Thanks

The Schiste Happens Team

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Oops! We also noticed that..............

We also noticed that in a dispatch dated 8th December, Reuters reported that the American Environmental Protection Agency concluded that 'hydraulic fracking most likely polluted aquafers in Wyoming. Chemicals found in aquafers include benzene'. 'Republicans in Congress have been urging the Obama administration to back off federal regulation of fracking because the industry is creating jobs and securing the country's energy future.'

Well, that couldn' happen here - could it!!!

Not 'all over' - by any means!

Since we last blogged on 4th October, we note the following................

a. Total are to challenge the three permits for the Cévennes region abrogated by President Sarkozy citing the loi Jacob recently. Wonder what they know that we do not?!!

b. Shares in 3 Legs Resources AKA Lane Energy have plummeted from circa 150p at flotation to circa 57p this week. You will know that they have a permit application 'en cours' for the 5,750 km sq surrounding Cahors and that their current main area of activity is Poland.

c. Last Friday the new Prefét of the Lot gave a 'presentation' in favour of the projected prison at Sauzet. Empathetic was not a word we would use to describe the overall approach and given that it is he who would otherwise sign permits for this region, we are not over encouraged. At least one local senator who had previously declared himself 'contre' G de S presented in a similar manner.

d. An International Day of Protest is planned for 'mid-january' and we will announce the date if/when advised by French/Canadian organisers.

e. Some variance with earlier statements on the part of the Party Socialiste in relation to policy in matters G de S and an early U turn in relation to all things nuclear from would be President Hollande. No surprises there.

f. In the UK, in spite of causal links being proven between fracking near Blackpool and the earlier mini-earthquakes ( Tim Yeo called them 'virtually non-existent' in our correspondence citing 5 pages of seismic minutae and at the same time virtually dismissing reports of around 1,000 instances in Arkansas ) operations to frack up to 800 wells utilizing - you've guessed it..........good old Hydraulic Fracking and this with large chunks of Chinese backing. No Environmental Assessment and little local consultation we hear.  Mostly ' up North' at this stage but coming to The Mendips, Weald and South Glamorgan quite soon now.

g. New and effective site at http://frack-off.org.uk - well worth a look ( Google it if the link does not work )  if only to read accounts of some of the despicable under cover activities engaged in by a well known firm of lobbyists based in Mayfair.

We continue to keep eyes and ears open and daily seek to offset statements like ' That's all sorted now isn't it?' and 'It'll never happen here'. The simple fact is that in the current and indeed ongoing financial climate France may well not be able to ignore the fact that it is sitting on top of one of the biggest potential shale gas deposits on the European mainland.

Watch this space.


Merry Christmas to all our readers.

[Merry Schistmas surely? Ed.]