NI Conservatives’ environment spokesman, Brian McBride, has described some of the groups protesting against fracking in England as a “deeply confused collection of malcontents” and expressed the hope that “we can have a much more thoughtful debate around hydraulic fracturing in Northern Ireland”.
“The latest protests in West Sussex illustrate the problems with many of the arguments which we’ve heard so far against fracking”, Brian emphasised. “There’s so much speculation, tittle-tattle and hysteria around the subject, whereas what we need is evidence and informed debate. The protests have been a magnet for a deeply confused collection of Greens, left wing groups, anti-welfare reformers and, ironically, even fuel poverty campaigners.”
“There were worrying signs, during the G8 protests for instance, that the discussion around fracking in Northern Ireland could descend into a similar farce and we have to avoid that at all costs. PWC estimates that extraction of shale gas could be worth £80 million to our economy and it would be irresponsible not to give the most serious and sober consideration to exploiting these resources. We’re talking potentially about high levels of investment, jobs for local people and lower energy costs for everyone.”
“Our environment is precious and nothing should be done to put it at risk, particularly in an area like Fermanagh, which attracts so many tourists. However we do need to take a close look at how economic benefits can be balanced against environmental considerations. We need to make sure that any extraction would have a minimal effect on the landscape, but to rule out fracking on the basis of hearsay and prejudice, without looking very seriously at the evidence would be negligent in the extreme.”