Please ask your MP to save our special places from fracking! Yesterday (Weds 21st Oct) in Westminster, the committee was nominated that will discuss tying up the last remaining details of the Infrastructure Act (January 2015), including drilling and fracking in and around National Parks, sites of special scientific interest, areas of outstanding natural beauty and water protection areas. They will meet next Tuesday afternoon, October 27th. Like parliament, the committee will have a Conservative majority. Your MP can attend the debate in committee, and is allowed to speak there (but not to vote). You could encourage them to attend the committee, and defend your special places. The changes agreed in committee then have to be formally approved by the Commons and the Lords. This could be scheduled for the next day or soon after. No time will be allowed for debate. The new rules will be nodded through on the committee's say-so, unless enough MPs object. This involves shouting 'No!' - how sad that our democracy depends on shouting! If enough MPs shout, the issue will have to be put to a vote (but not a debate) by the whole House. You can help by asking your MP to attend the Commons on the allotted day, to shout, and then to vote against fracking in beautiful and sensitive areas. At the report stage of the Infrastructure Bill, the government promised to protect these areas, but now they want to go back on their promises. These new regulations on where to allow fracking come at a time when we are waiting for the announcement of a whole new set of oil and gas licences across the UK. Many of these new areas include important aquifers, areas of outstanding natural beauty and sites of special scientific interest, as well as National Parks. (It seems they might drill beside and under national parks, even if not inside them). Here is the Friends of the Earth's briefing for MPs to help you. https://www.foe.co.uk/node/81601 You still have time to write to your MP about this, or even to meet him or her at a surgery. Find your MP’s contact details here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/ Recent fracking news Latest onshore oil and gas licences consultation The Government recently made the long-awaited announcement about the 14th Round of onshore oil and gas licences (the blocks of land companies bid for in which they then have to find suitable sites). https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/habitats-regulations-assessments-of-14th-onshore-oil-and-gas-licensing-round A first tranche of licences was announced which mainly covered the Midlands and North of England. A second tranche will be issued later this year after a consultation. Announcing these further licences has been delayed because these licence blocks overlap with important nature sites designated at European level - under the Habitats Regulations. The government has to do what is called a "Habitats Regulations Assessment" (HRA) – this means they have to assess the likely impacts a project might have on these sites and what action would need to be taken to avoid those impacts. In the South East region, all the new licences are subject to HRA. Key areas to note are a block north of Winchester, another north of Bognor Regis and half the Isle of Wight. Find a (FOE) map of the new blocks here. http://www.foe.co.uk/news/fracking-coming-town-near-you You need to make sure that only the bottom two boxes are ticked on the drop-down menu to see only the14th round licences. Weakening of planning laws Another announcement while you may have been enjoying your holiday saw Amber Rudd, Energy and Climate Change Secretary, attacking local councils for being too slow to agree shale applications. The government may enforce a 16 week rule in future, and decisions may finally be made in Westminster. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33894307 Yet as a Lancashire council spokesman pointed out, some of the delay was due to Cuadrilla asking for a deferment. It is pretty outrageous that Ministers are pushing shale at the same time as supposedly agreeing to devolve decision making. https://www.foe.co.uk/news/new-fracking-rules-interfere-with-local-democracy Please help ensure that the government does not push back on Lancashire Council's rejections of fracking applications by signing this petition: https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2015/10/15/fracking-david-vs-goliath/ Tell the Government how much you support solar power Back in May, Government Minister Amber Rudd said she wanted to unleash a “solar revolution”. Instead she is cutting support by 87%. Renewable energy is the most important alternative to fracking for fossil fuels. Former Conservative Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has said the impact of these cuts will be ‘catastrophic’. By 2020 a million fewer homes, schools and businesses will get solar panels on their roofs. Our annual carbon emissions will be far higher as a result. Around 20,000 people around the country could lose their jobs – indeed over a thousand already have. The cuts have been widely denounced. Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson, former US Vice President Al Gore and CBI Director-General John Cridland have all attacked the plans. So have many others from business, communities and right across the political spectrum. Please help save solar from this unwarranted attack. There’s a government consultation on until October 23rd. KeepFiTs has a page where you can respond to this in minutes. Please do this soon: http://keepfits.org/ October 10th saw countrywide actions highlighting Barclays’ role in fracking You could keep the pressure up by e-mailing Barclays and asking them to cut their links with fracking companies. You might also like to join the Guardian's divestment from fossil fuels campaign: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/23/a-beginners-guide-to-fossil-fuel-divestment Many are considering moving their money from those funds, investments and banks that use it to support fracking, and investing instead in environmentally friendly companies. Voting at the ballot box may have failed to get the frackers out, but voting with our investment is making people listen. If you move to energy providers such as Ecotricity, for instance, you know you are buying and supporting renewables in every way you can. Ecotricity are worth a mention as they played a key role in supporting our judicial review in Balcombe. http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/ New Health Study A comprehensive health study out last week summarises research showing harms to health from fracking due to air and water pollution as well as a result of methane leakage from related infrastructure (PSR concerned Health Professionals of New York Oct 2015). Politicians and journalists cannot claim that there is no evidence of harm resulting from fracking. See reports below http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs/fracking-compendium.pdf http://www.psr.org/resources/fracking-compendium.html?referrer=http://www.psr.org/?referrer=https://www.google.com/?referrer=http://insideclimatenews.org/news/16102015/fracking-studies-overwhelmingly-indicate-threats-public-health-air-water-pollution EVENTS Friday October 23rd, Brighton, 7pm-3am Reclaim the Beats: Fracking fundraiser. Evening of lively debate and music with a range of speakers and bands. https://www.facebook.com/events/177682662570715/ Saturday October 24th Billingshurst, West Sussex 10am-2.30pm Sussex CPRE Workshop: Staying Ahead by Planning for Tomorrow Which countryside issues matter the most to you? An event to inform the work of Sussex CPRE in future. Open to non-members. Booking required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staying-ahead-by-planning-for-tomorrow-tickets-18858797170?ref=ebtn November 21st Brighton Climate Action Network (Brighton CAN) is an umbrella organisation for all those campaigns directed at putting pressure on the Paris International Climate Talks in late November/early December. As well as supporting the planned national Time to Act national demonstration in London on Sunday 29th November, and the UK-leg of the International Bike Ride to Paris passing through Brighton on the weekend of 5/6 December (6th December it will come through Balcombe), Brighton CAN is also organising a week of action from November 15 – 21st. This will culminate in a series of panels and debates on Saturday 21 November at the Synergy Centre, West Street, Brighton including Caroline Lucas MP and our very own Charles Metcalfe from Balcombe. More details here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BrightonCAN/ November 29th Climate rally, London - make your voice heard A wide coalition is organising various events in the run up to international talks on Climate Change in Paris this winter. This rally on the eve of the talks in Paris aims to show that thousands of citizens care and want governments to agree on clear actions to reduce carbon emissions. Find out more on this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/516078015212179/ You can also download fliers to help promote the event if you have time. Sign a petition Scrap fracking and invest in green energy: This petition is run on the government website, should it reach 100 000, MP's will have to debate it. It's a third there, so please support it, but you must also respond to the email it sends you to be counted. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104617 Don’t let the Government overturn Lancashire’s fracking win: http://www.foe.co.uk/act/dont-let-government-overturn-lancashires-fracking-win Tell the government to not to curb support for solar: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-uk-government-killing-off-the-uk-solar-industry Please find further actions you can take at this site: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxuaTIRbyCDhRDVpdEdCdzRaeE0/view