In January 2015 a moratorium was announced by the Scottish government that prohibited fracking. Then, in 2017 the government confirmed the moratorium would continue. Now, they have extended it again with ministers confirming it would not grant permission for any onshore unconventional oil and gas projects, including fracking, shale gas or coalbed methane projects.
However, climate campaigners are not satisfied. They say fracking should be specifically outlawed by legislation in Scotland because a moratorium can easily be overturned by another government in the future.
But the country’s Energy Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, disagrees. He said:
“There has been a dramatic change in public perceptions of the environment, the climate crisis and the expectations of government to respond. As a result, an unconventional oil and gas industry would not be of sufficient positive benefit to Scotland to outweigh its negative impacts.”
He claims the controversial extraction technique is “incompatible” with the government’s policies to tackle climate change, so there was no need for a full legal ban. He insists the prohibition is “robust” and will be enforced via planning powers, with no licenses for fracking being issued to companies.
He goes on to promise that the government could consider legislation if it was needed in the future. However, he doesn’t see that happening because the Scottish Parliament just passed a new target of cutting climate emissions to net zero by 2045.
Wheelhouse said in a statement to the Scottish Parliament:
“I am mindful of the fact that there have been calls from stakeholders, and from colleagues in this chamber, for a legislative ban on unconventional oil and gas in Scotland. We do not consider that new legislation is necessary at this time to control unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland; a strong policy position enacted through devolved planning powers and licensing is – we believe – robust, evidence-led and sufficient. However, that option remains open if there is evidence over time that further action is required.”
However, environmental activists are still not convinced this plan of action is good enough. Mary Church from Friends of the Earth Scotland said:
“It is frustrating that today’s decision falls short of the full legal ban that would put the issue to bed once and for all.”
She also said ministers should take a far tougher line on North Sea oil and gas production as well. She continued:
“[The] Scottish government has announced a climate emergency, and a growing movement is demanding it starts acting like it means it. That includes taking a much tougher stance with big, polluting corporations, ending its support for new oil and gas and using the powers it has to pass strong laws in the Scottish parliament to drive the transformative change we need.”
Meanwhile, others are looking at this move from a different angle. They see it as a potential for better things to come. For instance, commenting on the decision, the director of WWF Scotland, Lang Banks, said:
“Now that fracking won’t be supported in Scotland, we hope politicians can start to rally round new and improved action to more quickly cut climate pollution from existing sources including our buildings, transport, and land.”
Only time will tell if this all pans out cleanly or if the environmentalists were right to be concerned!
