Re: Oil Drilling in Englands National Parks
Originally Posted by
Barry
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Drilling and fracking need regulation but we also need the oil and gas which could transform our econonmy in the medium term, and give a breathing space to be able to develop sustainable energy production of other types for the future.
What we cannot afford is to be completely reliant on foreign countries for our energy. It's a dangerous world out there and we desperately need to be independent of energy .
I agree. We face the same problems here. Fracking, done right, can be the lesser of necessary evils.
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The question is whether or not there are options to protect your
public lands.
If you pay taxes to protect your public lands, what happens to the money that comes from the leases on those lands? One suggestion here is that it be used to buy additional park land as a mitigating factor.
Truly wondering here: Is there really so much oil/gas specifically in those national lands that it would truly trasnform your economy and make you energy dependent?
In the end, I certainly understand your situation as a small island nation, just throwing out some food for thought and some warnings from someone who has seen fracking sites, wastewater and spills, and the nightmarish impacts of two oil spills.
Fracking wasterwater: Make sure all sites are in flood-free zones. We have had multple problems with floods causing wastewater entering streams and the public water supply.
What retention ponds look like:
This is what a fracking site looks like. This one is not far from my parents, on private land:
This is what spilled wastewater looks like: