Gill Kennett Please see the motion by Gill Kennett and seconded by Julia Conner that was agreed unanimously by Full Council (Hull City Council) on Thursday 20th November. I am pleased to say that it will certainly have raised awareness with most of the elected members, many of whom, it has to be said, were aware of the issues and extremely concerned. It has also enabled fracking to go to Scrutiny and to cabinet and will now be on the agenda of Council business. We are pleased and also relieved that this motion had ‘cross party’ support, which evidences that the Councillors in this city are well aware that the dangers that are very possibly involved, the need to look at appropriate strategies. Also, that these unknown and untried processes required certainly give cause for concern and cause for further study and analysis. Shale Gas and Coal Bed Methane Extraction That this Council: a) Notes the commitment of the Coalition Government for developing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the UK; b) Notes the recent protests against shale gas drilling in areas of East Yorkshire; c) Notes the controversy about both the supposed benefits of extracting on-shore gas resources and the local environmental impacts; d) Notes the recent evidence that 60-80% of world fossil fuel reserves need to be left in the ground if average global temperature rise is to remain within 2 degrees; e) Believes that UK shale gas and coal bed methane will add to the fossil fuel pollution burden; f) Notes that the millions of gallons of water, per well, needed for hydraulic fracturing to extract shale gas (known as fracking) would reduce water supplies in this region, which are also threatened by the impact of climate change; g) Notes the well-documented risk of groundwater contamination as a result of fracking, which would exacerbate the pressure on water supplies and put residents at risk, especially as the water supply to this city comes from the aquifers which are undergoing exploratory drilling at the moment; h) Notes the unavoidable increase in noise, visual intrusion and air pollution from heavy traffic in communities close to fracking sites; i) Will develop a Council policy on shale gas and coal bed methane extraction by referring this motion for a full scrutiny inquiry into the issue of ‘fracking’ including the evidence of ecological, geological and pollution associated with this method. To report back to Full Council as soon as possible. j) Will continue to attract appropriate funding for projects which increase energy efficiency, sustainability and self-sufficiency, stabilise energy bills, and create jobs in the green economy, and Send a copy of this motion to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the Minister of State for the Department for Energy and Climate Change. k) This Council believes that the future for this region is in developing the potential of the green, renewable energy generation industry and moving away from depleting resources of fossil fuels that damage the environment and lead to climate change.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 10:45:49 +0000
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