Lord Howell on 'Fracking'.

Former energy secretary, Lord Howell of Guildford:

Ive heard of part of those comments.  But not so sure about the part about Rochdale.

Maybe tongue in cheek?!  

Still if it did come to Rochdale we would have the Green Brigade marching, shouting and campaiging against it sayings its too late for the enviroment to be saved, or its the last day we can save the enviroment so on and so forth.

But still my two views remain,

!) why does the last day to save the enviroment keeps moving out from the last time?  
2) What do they suggest we do to keep the lights on?

Just think if massive amounts of Shale Gas are found under Lenny Barn for example. The income/jobs in could bring in.  But will the energy bills come down?

Nah didnt think so.

Chill37 wrote:
I've heard of part of those comments.  But not so sure about the part about Rochdale.  

Lord Howell’s remarks, for which he has quickly apologised, were, ‘There are large and uninhabited and desolate areas, certainly in part of the North-east, where there’s plenty of room for fracking.’        


 


Mr Osborne has unveiled the most generous tax breaks in the world to kick-start fracking across the UK .

Such a nice man. I always knew we could trust the Conservatives.

It seems he got it wrong and has apologised, He didn't mean to insult the north east - he meant the north west instead. Easy mistake.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-23527634

Prudence Tempered wrote:It seems he got it wrong and has apologised,  He didn't mean to insult the north east - he meant the north west instead.  Easy mistake.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-23527634

He told the media he was actually talking about "the drilling going on off the Lancashire coast". He also said it was a "stupid error" to mention anywhere at all.

He does not speak for the government PT

So when he talked about "uninhabited and desolate" areas he actually meant the sea? I suppose that is pretty much desolate and definitely uninhabited.

"Er. Cod you pass that by me again please. - Glub." 

Atlas wrote:"Er. Cod you pass that by me again please. - Glub." 

Of course. It would seem that the noble Lord is suggesting that we use the Irish Sea for fracking porpoises.

Or something like that.

I don't think I can find space to call the man 'noble - although admittedly I don't know him. As for 'Lord' that I thought was something to do with something connected to people who were a tad delusional.
Now this 'man'/ 'person' may have had the intention of sending drilling equipment into the Irish Sea for the purposes of digging holes and causing earthquakes. I don't know. His intentions have been a tad obscure. He is without doubt a bit silly - but from the pictures some of us tend to go that way as we reach our dotage so nowt fresh there then. I wouldn't spend too much time on this if I were you. It's going nowhere - in a handcart.  

In the long term, when they 'frack' or pulverise a layer of rock deep underground, and so damage the geological structure, you would expect the surface of the earth to settle and sink a bit eventually. The earthquakes at Blackpool seem to fit with that. There seems to be lot of problems in store with chemicals being pumped down deep into the earth.

The most worrying aspect of fracking is the assurance from the government that it will be well regulated, anything that is well regulated by the government usually turns out to be a mad cow story, or some similar sort of disaster.

Lessons will be learned in a few years time, when the ground subsides and water has to be filtered?

So in terms of geological damage, what is the difference between mining and fracking?

johnb wrote:So in terms of geological damage, what is the difference between mining and fracking?

Almost none.

Probably so, the damage from fracking might be spread over a wider area?

Quarrying, mining, drilling for oil, hydroelectric dams, nuclear power, all these things can and do cause long term damage to people and the environment. The effects of all these activities usually become apparent some years later. Promises that anything like that will be done safely and responsibly cannot be relied on, any more than you could rely on Lord Howell to navigate you to Blackpool, which he thinks is somewhere in the bleak, desolate and uninhabited north east. Best to use a sat-nav.