On Sunday 18th September 2011, I joined a group of activists and local people to march up to the drilling site set up by Caudrilla Resources. The March started at Camp Frack, where activists from all over the UK had gathered together to organise this protest.
The drilling rig in question was originally located at Singleton near Blackpool, but drilling was suspended following a British Geological Survey investigation into links with earthquake activity in the area caused by the fracking process.
Hydraulic Fracturing or fracking as it has become commonly known was highlighted by the film Gasland, which has documented the effects of fracking operations in the USA. The process which involves pumping a high pressure liquid consisting of water and a cocktail of toxic chemicals into shale rock in order to fracture it, releasing methane gas, has blighted the lives of thousands of people.
This insidious process needs to be stopped in its tracks. The drilling operations in Lancashire are the thin end of the wedge. This industry will spread like wildfire around the world. Action needs to be taken before fracking becomes an even bigger environmental issue than tar sands. This should be a wakeup call for Greenpeace. This article from Greenpeace USA sums up the situation nicely.
A short film called Fracking Hell is available on youtube, which shows the effects of fracking.
Here in Scotland we're not immune either. There was a proposal to set up a drilling site near Falkirk, But it's not certain if this will go ahead.
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