U.K. Government Halts Fracking Amid Concerns Over Earthquakes

The U.K government issues a temporary yet indefinite ban on fracking.

The U.K. government issued a halt on all fracking activities in England on November 2, after a report by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) concluded that it was “not possible to predict the probability and size of tremors caused by the practice.”

The ban is of a temporary but indefinite nature. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom claimed that the ban would continue to be in place “until and unless” fracking is proved to be safe. She also said, “After reviewing the OGA’s report into recent seismic activity at Preston New Road, it is clear that we cannot rule out future unacceptable impacts on the local community. For this reason, I have concluded that we should put a moratorium on fracking in England with immediate effect.”

Activities at Preston New Road, the U.K.’s only active fracking site in Lancashire in northern England, were suspended in August after it was found that fracking activities at the site had caused multiple earth tremors.

In response to the OGA’s latest report, the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy stated that “further consents for fracking will not be granted” unless the fracking industry “can reliably predict and control tremors” associated with the activity.

However, Leadsom has received criticism for the temporary nature of the ban. The Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party have expressed that they would like to see a permanent ban on fracking.

When asked about the temporary nature of the ban on BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Leadsom stated that shale gas was a “huge opportunity” for the United Kingdom.

As the Guardian noted in reference to the fracking ban, “The moratorium marks a major U-turn for the Conservative party and the prime minister Boris Johnson.” Boris Johnson has, in the past, referred to fracking as “glorious news for humanity” and has even stated that the UK should “leave no stone unturned, or unfracked.”