Minister cancels Brive permit

You may have read in the French press that Minister Delphine Batho announced during the past week that she intended to cancel the application to frack in the Dordogne ( area centred on Brive ) from Hexagon Gas who are registered in Singapore. Minister Batho cited 'the level of public protest and noted that she did not wish to see France turned into a gigantic Gruyere cheese'.

Protest works and is most effective when based upon a sound grasp of the relevant facts. 

The problem has not gone away however and we must remain vigilant. The commission set up under Sarkozy's administration and charged with investigating 'alternative methods' concluded in it's interim report delivered just three weeks ago that the gas could be extracted 'safely' ( no mention of the logistics or disruption to communities or the futility of engaging with one more fossil fuel. The final report will be placed before Parliament in October.