A drilling rig testing for the possibility of fracking in Lancashire. Photograph by KA
Prime Minister David Cameron has said that councils which back “fracking” will reap the rewards in their ability to keep more money in tax revenue in a scheme to promote the controversial energy source.
English local authorities will received 100% of the business rates from shale gas schemes, double the usual amount, in a scheme that Greenpeace have dubbed “bribery”.
The government claims that shale gas drilling projects will support 74,000 jobs and reduce energy bills for UK consumers who have seen drastic price rises in recent months from energy providers.
This announcement comes as French energy giant Total has confirmed plans to invest £30 million in drilling two exploratory wells in Lincolnshire with an aim to exploit the area for fracking.
Promoters of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, have claimed that the 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas present in the north of England could provide funds similar to that of North Sea Oil for the UK purse, but environmental groups are concerned about the dangers of the technique which could cause small earth tremors and water contamination.
