Barry White
Fossil Free East Yorkshire has described plans to drill for oil and gas as ‘utter madness’ and has launched a campaign to stop proposals to exploit an estimated 189 billion cubic metres of gas and 31 million barrels of oil lying below countryside near the Yorkshire coast. Oil and gas extraction is already taking place near the village of West Newton, nine miles from the port of Hull.
Rathlin Energy, the company involved, has applied for planning permission to East Riding of Yorkshire Council, based in Beverley, to drill more wells, which opponents say will triple the size of the operation. A public consultation on the planning application is taking place and the council says that all comments received during the consultation period will be considered when preparing the report to go before planning committee.
If permission is granted it will lead to thousands of oil tanker lorries driving along country lanes during the extraction period campaigners are warning and have reminded East Riding of Yorkshire Council that it declared a “climate emergency” in February.
A Fossil Free East Yorkshire statement said: “For our very survival and the future of our children – our food supplies, our homes and our security – we must keep it in the ground.
“The world is turning away from out dated polluting fossil fuels, so drilling more oil wells now is utter madness.”
Local resident Helen Wright said: “Up to 25 tankers of crude oil per day passing through small villages on narrow roads and the release of methane gas into the environment would not only have a detrimental effect on our quality of life but would negatively impact on tackling climate change.”
With thanks to Pete Lazenby (Morning Star) for some of the material reported above. You can follow Fossil Free East Yorkshire at: https://twitter.com/fossilfreeey
