Shale gas - The Dept. of Energy & Climate Change responds

After my last blog post on Fracking. I sent an email to The Dept. of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) asking if they were aware of the report produced by the European commission, which I discussed in the article.

Today I recieved a reply from them. Here it is: 

16 April 2013 

Dear Mr Dalgleish, 

Thank you for your email dated 26 March to Edward Davey, about DECC’s announcement last December in relation to shale gas exploration in the UK. I have been asked to reply. 

You asked if DECC was aware of the work which the European Commission has been conducting in relation to unconventional gas and oil, including shale gas, and whether we had sight of the report produced by consultants for the European Commission’s Environment Directorate-General entitled: “Support to the identification of potential risks for the environment and human health arising from hydrocarbons operations involving hydraulic fracturing in Europe” prior to the announcement made by the Secretary of State on 13 December. 

I can confirm that DECC was aware of this report and many others which have been produced over the last 2 years in relation to unconventional gas and oil and hydraulic fracturing. We would point out that this particular report lists the risks of hydraulic fracturing, but not the scope for mitigating these risks. A more complete view of both aspects of the risks is provided by other reports, in particular the report on the risks of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas published last summer by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, which was specifically mentioned in the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament of 13 December 2012. 

DECC, the Environment Agency and DEFRA have attended meetings in Europe with other Member States to assist the Commission in their work on shale gas exploration and hydraulic fracturing, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Commission on these issues. 

I hope that this is helpful. 

Yours sincerely,

Ross Lewis

DECC Correspondence Unit

So was it helpful to you?

I'll return here for a further edit and comment in due course. But I'd be interested in hearing your your views on this matter.