Community victory on fracking
At midnight on 2 November 2019 the UK government called a moratorium on fracking in England. A moratorium technically means a "temporary ban" on a certain action. It’s often a significant stepping stone on the path to a permanent ban (just look at the case of GM crops in Scotland).
The government announcement of a moratorium on fracking followed 8 years of protests, arrests, demonstrations, remonstrations, letters, emails, tears, rightful fears, and community organising. It was a battle akin to David and Goliath.
Personally, I remember standing outside Lancashire County Council when the initial application was rejected back in 2015. We shared tears of joy thinking we had won that sunny afternoon. Little did we know that we’d come up against Westminster and have to win all over again.
The fight needn’t have carried on so long. The government could have backed a better, cleaner horse from the offset. But it didn’t. In their bid to go all out for fracking, the government divided itself, but it also did an unintentionally wonderful thing at the same time: it united communities.
And now it feels like we did it. The moratorium has been given no deadline, and the government will be hard pressed to weaken regulations amidst so much political and public pressure.
I’ve been proud, along with many colleagues at Friends of the Earth, to stand alongside the real heroes of this story. Tina Louise Rothery, one of the stalwart Blackpool Nanas, is one of them. In her message to me on Saturday, she wrote:
"We may all have had different approaches, methods and expectations of where the solution would come from… Harmony didn't mean singing the same tune, but drawing what we needed from each other to nourish the symphony.
"Getting a tad poetic because my heart is currently swimming in gratitude and joy. It's been a bloody hard, long few years but I would do it all again for the beauty of the friendships and the admiration I have for my fellow campaigners in all their unique and glorious individuality. We can save the world one shared campaign aim at a time."
Two actions on fracking that need to happen now
1. A permanent ban on fracking
The current government promised in its manifesto to ‘ban fracking for good’ in England. It must deliver on this promise, closing the current loopholes that allow some forms of low-volume fracking. And, to make this as robust as possible, a full and permanent ban must be delivered by a new law rather than through a ministerial statement.
2. Resist Reform plans to start fracking
Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform, has said his party will restart the fracking industry if it comes to power. This would lead to huge opposition at local levels – communities who fought fracking a few years ago have said they’re ready to fight again if necessary. And there are already splits within Reform: the cabinet member for rural affairs at Reform-led Lancashire County Council has said that, “Fracking has its place but not everywhere in Lancashire”.
Time is running out to tackle the climate emergency. Fracking remains a dangerous distraction. The government must throw its full weight behind the development of the UK’s vast renewable energy potential.
Inspired by the community win?
Why not join a local action group and work with others to make your local area greener and more sustainable for everyone.
A version of this article was published by Blackpool Gazette on Monday 11 November 2019.