Welsh AMs get legal advice on fracking by Friends of the Earth QC

The London barrister, commissioned by Friends of the Earth, spoke to various AMs and their researchers including Lee Waters, Dai Lloyd, Julie James and Lynn Neagle.

Jane Hutt, who sponsored the briefing, said. “Jane Hutt said: “I was very pleased to sponsor a drop in event at the Senedd for AMs, with Friends of the Earth Cymru and Frack-Free Wales.  I am strongly opposed to fracking and do not want to see it happen in the Vale of Glamorgan.  I am encouraged that the Welsh Government has a moratorium in place and has recently consulted on proposals to remove fossil fuels from our energy mix and to not support applications for hydraulic fracturing petroleum license consents.”

Bleddyn Lake from Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:

“In the near future AMs will make important decisions about fracking.

“We support the recent Welsh Government consultation on Petroleum Extraction policy in Wales and their proposed future policy of “We will not undertake any new petroleum licensing in Wales, or support applications for hydraulic fracturing petroleum licence consents.”

“It is vital however that this policy and the revised Planning Policy Wales framework also incorporate not just fracking but also two lesser known technologies called coal bed methane  (CBM) and underground coal gasification (UCG).

“Fracking, CBM and UCG are damaging to the environment and lead to climate change emissions. The Welsh Government has the power to prevent all three technologies from ever happening in Wales.  This briefing provides AMs with the information they need to make informed decisions.

“The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change shows we need to act now and to act decisively. We simply don’t want or need fracking, CBM or UCG in Wales.

AMs who missed the event, can obtain a legal briefing paper on fracking from [email protected].