GWPF Calls On UK Government To Remove Arbitrary Shale Gas Restrictions

The Global Warming Policy Forum has called on the government to relax seismic restrictions on shale gas drilling in the UK.

The call comes after leading experts from the British Geological Survey (BGS) announced that the current limits on seismic activity were too restrictive. The limits, which force drillers to stop work, are much more forbidding than those in other industries and those used in other countries.

In a letter to the Minister of State Claire Perry, the GWPF's director Benny Peiser said,

We believe it is no exaggeration to say that the economic viability of the government’s energy and climate policy depends on the required natural gas being available at reasonable cost. Without UK shale gas, overseas gas producers will face less competition in the UK markets, leading to much higher prices than would otherwise be the case."

The GWPF has repeatedly called for the UK to accelerate the development of Britain's massive and potentially game-changing shale gas resources. As Dr Peiser writes in his letter,

As both energy bills and energy poverty continue to rise unabated, a revision of the shale gas “Traffic Light" regulations is now imperative, and we urge you to undertake this as a matter of urgency."