Clumber Park Nottinghamshire. Photo: Richard Watson
A coalition of environmental organisations, community groups and academics has written to the Prime Minister in support of the National Trust in its legal fight against INEOS.
The shale gas company, which holds the largest number of exploration licences in the UK, has the go-ahead for a case at the High Court over access to Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire.
INEOS wants access to carry out seismic testing, the first stage in exploration, which could end in fracking for shale gas.
The letter, released today, has been signed by 23 national non-governmental organisations, including Greenpeace, Campaign for National Parks, CPRE, Friends of the Earth and WWF. Coalition letter to Prime Minister about National Trust legal action
The signatories also included representatives of 35 community anti-fracking groups from across the UK, and 17 scientists and academics, including five serving professors.
The letters says:
“We strongly condemn the recent legal threat against the National Trust by INEOS and we also want to declare our strong and firm support for the National Trust, which – by protecting Clumber Park from the fracking industry – is protecting priceless cultural and environmental heritage of the UK on behalf of the needs of current and future generations.”
It adds:
“Landowners who are charitable bodies acting in the public interest should most certainly not be forced to accept shale development of any kind (including seismic surveys). Landowners of all types have to be able to retain the right to say no to companies wanting to access their land for exploration and exploitation of fossil fuels.
“We stand with the National Trust and Landowners in the defence of their right to say NO to granting access to oil and gas companies wanting to survey their land. Landowners, communities and individuals should retain the right to protect and defend the assets they value.”
This is the third public letter supporting the National Trust against INEOS. In February 15 Yorkshire landowners, holding more than 80,000 acres wrote to The Times. They were joined by another 27 names early this month in a letter to the local newspaper, the Gazette and Herald.
Call for immediate fracking ban
Today’s letter calls on Theresa May to halt immediately unconventional oil and gas exploration in the UK and instead invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
It describes fracking as risky, unpopular and unnecessary. Research has also shown the industry to be harmful, the letter says:
“Through the construction of a network of thousands of wells, associated pipelines and compressor stations, it has a significant negative impact on the development of the targeted regions and will be detrimental to areas where either settlements or agriculturally, environmentally and/or culturally sensitive zones can be found.
“Seismic surveys are just the first step of this kind of “development”. If the surveys showed there to be sufficient gas, Ineos could go back to court and try to force Landowners to allow it access to frack and extract it.”
The letter adds that the industry poses a significant risk to the environment as a driver of climate change and through habitat fragmentation, wildlife disturbance and potential pollution.
Signatories of the letter Non-governmental organisations and unions
Angling Trust
Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union
Campaign Against Climate Change
Campaign for National Parks
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Climate Revolution
Community Chartering Network
Food and Water Watch
Food and Water Europe
Frack Free United
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Friends of the Peak District
Greenpeace
Marine Conservation Society
National Union of Students
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
Oil Change International
Salmon and Trout Conservation
Scientists for Global Responsibility
Talk Fracking
UK Youth Climate Coalition
WWF
Community and campaign groups
Bassetlaw Against Fracking
Bolsover Against Fracking
Coal Aston and Dronfield Against Fracking
Defend Lytham
East Kent Against Fracking
Eckington Against Fracking
Ellesmere Port Frack Free
Frack Free Ashfield
Frack Free East Yorkshire
Frack Off Fife
Frack Free Lancashire
Frack Free Lincolnshire
Frack Free Misson
Frack Free Nottinghamshire
Frack Free Ryedale
Frack Free Scarborough
Frack Free Sherwood Forest and Edwinstowe
Frack Free Somerset
Frack Free Surrey
Frack Free Sussex
Frack Free Tinker Lane
Frack Free Totnes
Frack Free UPton
Frack Off London
Frackwatch Glasgow
Frack Watch Terrington
Harthill Against Fracking
Markwells Wood Watch
Mosborough Against Fracking
No Fracking in Balcombe Society
Preston New Road Action Group
Residents Action on Fylde Fracking
Roseacre Awareness Group
Sheffield Climate Alliance
Weald Action Group
Academics
Dr Keith Baker, School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University
Emeritus Professor Keith Barnham Distinguished Research Fellow, Physics Department, Imperial College London, London
Dr Steve Connelly, Senior Lecturer Dept. of Urban Studies & Planning University of Sheffield
Dr Matthew Cotton, Lecturer Human Geography, Department of Environment, University of York
Prof. Richard Cowell, Professor of Environmental Planning, Cardiff University
Prof. Nick Cowern, Director, NC Tech Insight Ltd. and Emeritus professor, Newcastle University
Dr Paul Dorfman, The Energy Institute, University College London
Emeritus Professor Chris Garforth, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading.
Prof. Robert W. Howarth, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Dr Jeremy Leggett, social entrepreneur and writer on energy
Tony Marmont, Prof, Dsc, Dtech, Hon FEI, Hon.FCIBSE. Fuels From Air Ltd
Dr Simon Pickering, Principal Ecologist , Ecotricity
Jonathon Porritt (environmental campaigner and writer)
Prof. Susan Roaf, Emeritus professor of Architectural Engineering, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh
Dr Sandra Steingraber, PhD, biologist, author, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Ithaca College, New York
Prof. Peter Strachan, Professor of Energy Policy, Robert Gordon University Aberdeen Business School: Aberdeen
Dr Geoff Wood, Teaching Fellow in International Energy Law and Policy Stirling Law School – Research Associate Centre for Energy Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee – Co Editor Palgrave Macmillan Energy Climate and the Environment
BY RUTH HAYHURST ON • ( 4 COMMENTS )
