Fracking Debate to Take Place in Bath

With many people concerned about the impact that proposals for fracking in Keynsham and the Mendips will have on the hot springs of Bath, as well as the safety of our drinking water and the natural environmental, it is about time that the facts were laid bare in front of the public before anything happens.

Bath People's Assembly plan to do just that on 14th March, with a debate between UK Methane, the company who plan to do the fracking, and anti-frackers Frack Free Somerset, who have been campaigning against it. It's at 7.30-9pm in the Friends' Meeting House, near the Abbey. Tell everyone who might be affected to get on down there!

Let's just hope that people have their facts right and that this issue gets the full scrutiny it deserves. If the fracking goes wrong, I can't see it being an easy thing to fix. And I'd rather not have to worry about earth tremors like they had in Lancashire. If there's an issue then it shouldn't go ahead. Find out more at the debate.

There's more info in the Bath Chronicle, complete with quotes from the debaters: http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Meeting-Bath-debate-fracking-UK-Methane-waits/story-18323821-detail/story.html

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Frack Free Somerset: Street Theatre in Bath

Frack Free Somerset - Street Theatre in Bath City Centre 10 November 2012

With the news that fracking is to take place in Keynsham, Frack Free Somerset, a coalition of groups opposed to fracking in the region, have been touring town and city centres with a street theatre performance.

A planning application has been submitted by UK Methane to undertake "fracking" (hydraulic fracturing) in Keynsham in order to extract trapped methane gas. There is much controversy surrounding fracking, with much evidence suggesting that contamination of water has occurred in areas where extraction has been undertaken. In particular, there is much concern over the contamination of drinking water and river systems from methane and the txoc chemicals used in the fracking process. Food sources may also be contaminated due to use of contaminated water and fracking has also been linked to air pollution. Recently, fracking has been associated with an earthquake in Lancashire.

The street theatre performance consisted of a mock fracking rig and campaigners dressed and in character as "Frack the Word Inc.", proclaiming the drinking water to be safe, while pouring toxic chemicals into it via a tube. Although the water did not contain any actual harmful chemicals, no-one who was offered a cup accepted it.

 

Frack Free Somerset are calling on the public to object to the planning application - details can be found at http://www.frackfreesomerset.org/what-you-can-do/keynsham-action-alert/planningobjections/

For more information, visit Frack Free Somerset's website http://www.frackfreesomerset.org/

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