BITN 909_04,05 (News)

5/1/12

18:22

Page 5

N E W S

An investigation into a controversial gas extraction method is being demanded by British politicians and campaigners after a three-year study by a US government agency found it could contaminate drinking water. High volumes of harmful chemicals were discovered in ground water wells in the town of Pavillion, Wyoming by the Environmental Protection Agency following residents complaints about taste and odour problems with their water.

Fracking latest: now US study finds shale gas extraction could contaminate water
England. He said: Environmental campaigners have been constantly raising concerns that there could be a risk to our natural drinking water supplies. So it comes as little surprise to find that water has been contaminated in this way. fully independent investigation into the environmental and health impacts of fracking becomes ever more urgent. A recent report produced by a team of researchers at the University of Manchesters Tyndall Centre, stated that even if strict regulations for fracking were put in place, risks of contamination cannot be fully eliminated. The researchers have also called for fracking to be delayed until clear evidence of its safety can be presented.

NEWS IN BRIEF
BANKS SHAME
Barclays Bank has been shortlisted for the 2012 Public Eye shame award for fuelling hunger and poverty worldwide. Nominated by anti-poverty campaign group the World Development Movement, Barclays is estimated to make up to 340 million a year from speculating in food futures markets, positioning the bank as a leader in driving sharp price spikes that send the cost of food soaring.

Hazardous chemical
Pavillion is home to more than 160 sites used for hydraulic fracturing known as fracking which involves injecting a large volume of water, sand and chemicals into drilled holes up to 900 feet deep. The mixture fractures shale rocks beneath the earth containing natural gas, which then bubbles to the surface and is captured in wells.

Moratorium
Other companies have applied for planning permission to conduct fracking at sites in Scotland and Wales, but have been met with resistance from residents and campaign groups. Coastal Oil and Gas had a plan to test drill for gas in Llandow, South Wales rejected by Glamorgan Council a decision against which the firm is appealing. Thirty MPs have signed an early day motion in parliament calling for a moratorium on the practice and the withdrawal of all existing fracking licences at least until the publication of a detailed environmental impact assessment. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, the MP who tabled the motion, said: As evidence mounts of the potentially negative effects of shale gas extraction both here and abroad, the need for a thorough and

CALDERDALE BUDGET
Residents of Calderdale are being urged to have their say on the councils budget for 2012/15. They are invited to attend meetings to find out what the budget proposals are, ask questions and give feedback. Calderdale Councils leader Janet Battye will attend each meeting: 17 Jan, North Bridge Leisure Centre, Halifax, 6pm: 19 Jan, Todmorden Town Hall, 6.30pm; and 23 Jan, Brighouse High School Sixth Form Centre, 6.30pm.

On hold
Caudrilla has voluntarily put its shale gas operations on hold in Lancashire while the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) considers links between fracking and a series of tremors across the region last year including a magnitude 2.6 earthquake in April. A DECC spokesperson said: DECC and other regulatory bodies continue to monitor relevant US studies. Shale gas exploration is just beginning in the UK and is governed by one of the most robust and stringent regulatory frameworks in the world.
RYAN GALLAGHER

An investigation is ever more urgent Lucas

The revelation has potentially major implications for the UK because US private equitybacked company Cuadrilla Resources has obtained planning permission to conduct fracking at seven sites near Blackpool and Preston. The company pumped 3,700 litres of a hazardous chemical mixture called FR-40 into the ground at Preese Hall in Lancashire while fracking in 2011, as The Big Issue in the North reported last November (issue 902). FR-40 contains polyacrylamide, a substance the European Chemicals Agency says has not been registered, authorised or passed safety assessments. Philip Mitchell, chair of the Blackpool Green Party, has been heading a campaign against the introduction of fracking across

VOLUNTEER RECOGNISED
An outreach worker at Surestart Childrens Centre in Longsight has been given an MBE for services to children and families in Greater Manchester. Saki Chowdhury has volunteered in her local community for the last 30 years and began working with the Surestart Centre, run by The Big Life Group which owns The Big Issue in the North 10 years ago. The centre enables over 1,000 parents and carers to access services each year.

LIVERPOOL LIBRARIES
Liverpool libraries are being hit hard as the council makes spending cuts. Three libraries are to close while the opening hours of 17 others will be cut, with a total of 76 job losses. Liverpool City Council also plans to scrap its mobile library service, although home deliveries will still be available. The council hopes to shave 2.2 million a year from the 8 million library budget.

Fracking involved injecting chemicals into the ground to recover gas

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9-15 JANUARY 2012 THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH