Tuesday 27 January 2015

Fracking: the fight goes on

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Bad news - last night MPs voted to give the green light to fracking across the UK. 50 MPs broke ranks to vote against the plans, but it wasn’t enough. [1] Trespass laws have changed: now dirty energy companies can apply to drill for oil and gas under our homes.

Days like today are difficult. But we urgently need to channel our frustration into hope - because tomorrow, Lancashire County Council could vote to block fracking in Lancashire. [2] Local councils still have the power to block fracking, so this is a test case. Council by council, we could start to turn the tide.

38 Degrees members in Lancashire are pushing their council hard to do the right thing tomorrow. In the wake of yesterday’s vote, let’s stand with them - and prove that across the country, we’re not done fighting yet. Please add your name to a huge message of support for 38 Degrees members fighting fracking in Lancashire:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/back-lancashire


Losses like yesterday’s prove that we’ve got a long way to go to get MPs to stand up for the environment. But without pressure from 38 Degrees members, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and thousands of grassroots groups, it could’ve been much worse. [3]

Yesterday’s vote had some positives: fracking is now banned in national parks. [4] And it wasn’t an easy vote for the government to win. Slowly, because of everything 38 Degrees members and climate change campaigners have done together, support for fracking is wavering - and MPs are feeling the heat.

Now let’s take the fight to a local level: council by council, let’s push fracking back. Three of the MPs who voted against fracking yesterday were from Lancashire - so the pressure is on for Lancashire Council to block it. [5]

Please add your name to the message to Lancashire, to show that we’re standing with them in the fight against fracking:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/back-lancashire



Thanks for being involved,

Amy, Robin, India, Rachel, James, Susannah and the 38 Degrees team


NOTES:
[1] 38 Degrees blog: How MPs voted on fracking:
http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2015/01/27/how-mps-voted-on-a-fracking-moratorium/
[2] Lancashire County Council: Shale gas developments in Lancashire:
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/planning/major-planning-applications/shale-gas-developments-in-lancashire.aspx
The Guardian: Controversial Lancashire fracking plans 'should be refused’:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/21/cuadrilla-lancashire-fracking-should-be-refused 
[3] Over 170,000 38 Degrees members signed the petition calling on MPs to vote against changes to trespass laws for fracking companies. The petition was delivered to MPs across the country, and also taken into parliament yesterday. 52,000 38 Degrees members then emailed our MPs, and thousands of ua also tweeted or called them yesterday morning to pile on the final pressure.
[4] The Telegraph: Fracking to be banned in national parks, Government concedes:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/fracking/11370239/Fracking-to-be-banned-in-national-parks-Government-concedes.html
[5] Drill or drop: Two Lancs Tories joined MPs voting for a fracking moratorium:
http://drillordrop.com/2015/01/26/two-lancs-tories-joined-mps-voting-for-a-fracking-moratorium/

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