Scotland bans fracking

A moratorium on fracking has been in place since January 2015 and yesterday’s announcement of an outright ban follows a four-month public consultation that received over 60,000 responses.

According to the Scottish government, approximately 99 per cent of the consultation responses were opposed to fracking and fewer than one per cent were in favour.

Those opposed to fracking emphasised the potential for significant, long-lasting negative impacts on communities, health, environment, and climate; expressed scepticism about the ability of regulation to mitigate negative impacts; and were unconvinced about the value of any economic benefit or the contribution of unconventional oil and gas to Scotland’s energy mix.

Paul Wheelhouse, minister for Business, Innovation and Energy said: “Having taken account of the interests of the environment, our economy, public health and the overwhelming majority of public opinion, the decision I am announcing today means fracking cannot and will not take place in Scotland.

“The views expressed through our consultation demonstrated that communities across Scotland, particularly in densely populated areas where developments could potentially take place, are not convinced there is a strong national economic argument when balanced against the risk and disruption they anticipate in areas, such as transport, pollution and crucially, their health and wellbeing.