The National Trust’s Statement on Fracking

45 Responses to “The National Trust’s Statement on Fracking”

1. I’m very glad the National Trust are against fracking on their land. I grew up near Formby beach! There’s also a lovely nature reserve there which has a red squirrel population. It would be such a tragedy to lose an area like that.

2. The BBC on line today have opened the debate further FRACKING UNTANGLING FACT FROM FICTION. Should we be also looking at Lord Browne’s associations with The Royal Society of Engineers. Durham and other Universities where research depends on funding from corporate sponsors. We must realistically appraise the environmental impact of this nonsense fast and stop them.

   • Could you give the link please Julie?

   • Hi Philip, this article went to the top of Editors Choice. Just a thought has anyone engaged Prince Charles in any way? Perhaps with the increasing voice it is time.

     • Yes I’d wondered that too – I’m sure it’s hapenning behind the scenes!

       • Please NEVER assume….it makes an ass out of you and me. Contact Prince Charles or Prince William directly and the Queen too. Just like we do here, US President and everyone in the Us Congress plus any state grassroots organizations. Ads in newspapers, town hall meetings to bringing everyone up to date……WITH the FACTS, NOT HYSTERIA/SCARE TACTICS.
         Also writing letters to the Companies that are responsible for the fracking, list of stockholders and board members are usually on every web site for that company. Make a noise, A LOUD ONE!. Take the time and just do it!

3. Here you go Philip…
   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20595228

4. Information on all recources we human take from this planet help us make better informed decisions, both personally and politically. my 2 cents

5. Hi Phillip we need to national trust, and also the English Heritage to stand up, and create a statement to be addressed at parliament, about the welfare of our country side regarding Fracking, it is about earning a FAST BUCK for our government but at what FUTURE COST. We need both National trust, and English Heritage involved in protecting what they were created, and founded to do, and funded by the public, without these two massive conservationists to preserve what we have left in this beautiful country, we will really have a fight on our hands to preserve, and protect not only our countryside, but also natural and clean water courses, which will be more valued than oil in the future…

   • Hope the US follows your country’s lead!

6. So do I, Laura! Phillip, we’ve been badly undermined by the corporate element’s infiltration of all levels of government and regulatory agencies, to which our president has been appointing corporate lackeys left and right – “former” petroleum people are on agencies that oversee mineral rights and permits, “former” Monsanto execs in the FDA, etc. I have mentioned before what’s happening in the state of North Carolina (where I live), once one of the most progressive states in the south, but no more. They are moving right along with fracking in the Piedmont (the lowland) region of the state, even though there’s less gas here than in other parts of the Marcellus Shale deposit, and there are issues that make fracking here especially risky, such as much closer proximity of aquifers to the proposed injection sites, and fracturing in the bedrock that make it much more likely that the chemicals will infiltrate the aquifers.

   Through voting district redistricting, corporate interests have consolidated their grip on the state, and many of NC’s state Reps are members of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, where US gov’t officials at both national and state levels go to mingle with corporate representatives who essentially tell them exactly how they want legislation written, often just writing it for them.

   Unfortunately, the US National Trust for Historic Preservation (which doesn’t include your “Natural Beauty” in its title) is only concerned with the historical value of buildings. Truly a disturbing state of affairs!

7. Texas has more fracking going on than any other state here in the US. I happen to live upwind a mere 75 miles from the worst of it, and our air no longer meets Environmental Protection Agency rules. But our state government keeps finding ways to delay or bargain with the EPA, so nothing gets done. The oil & gas lobby is so strong that they are running the federal government (along with the pharmaceutical cartel). It’s so discouraging; still, I sign all the petitions and gripe to anyone who will listen. We will all pay for such dishonorable treatment of our beautiful Earth. I certainly hope things go better for all of you in the UK.

   • Twig, I’m very sorry – it sounds like your situation is very dire, indeed! Are there groups where you are that are organised against it? Even if your water isn’t affected, if your air is, you have a legitimate right to be a part of such a group! The industry claims that it doesn’t affect the air, but independent studies are showing it does in fact do so!

8. So sorry to hear that Twig. What’s happening to you in the US is an awful lesson for us here in the UK that we can’t allow it to happen over here.

   • That’s why the information from the UK and the US on fracking need to get as much light shined on them as possible. It’s the only wake up call we have. We need to use the planets resources responsibly, do impact studies (water tables, gas emitting from the operation, impact on nature, human food chain and the people surrounding the site etc. FIRST not after the fact. Just My 2 cents worth Don’t let GREED win!

   • I think you have a better chance precisely because your country is smaller – execs can’t distance themselves from it the way they can here. Also, I think that the prevailing attitude in our country means the general public who are unaffected, because they’re so physically distant from it, have a kind of “well, that’s very sad, but there’s nothing I can do about it” point of view. Besides that, there’s also a prevalent attitude in the US of “Well, I vote when it’s time to – I’ve done my part”. I have people tell me that quite frequently, and polls tend to indicate that as being a problem as well (not that polls are infallible, but…).

     I think that the immensity of our country, physically, works against our interests as a people. Besides that, greed and self-centeredness are lauded as virtues by the media for, probably, quite self-serving interests by the corporations. People seem to quite willingly buy into that, though.

     Would you say that people in the UK feel more involved with what’s happening there, say in a district other than their own, are people likely to get involved, even when the outcome doesn’t affect them directly?

     • Thank you, Rylin, for showing that my comments to yesterday’s posts were not mere “hysteria”. The effects of fracking are real…and these are just the immediate ones. The methane released into the atmosphere is 10x worse than what the coal industry ever produced and we will see the effects of that in a few years.

       Right now it seems like a losing battle…the government is so infiltrated and the system so corrupt…but I still have faith that something will turn it around. Unfortunately, it won’t be in time for a lot of people, who have already lost their land and their homes.

9. And thank you, Philip, for posting this. Fracking is planned here in California in the National Forests…this information is pertinent regardless of what country we live in. I know the government believes it is the only thing that will save us financially,but a lot of good that will do when the water is all bad and the ground contaminated and the agriculture on which Central California so desperately depends is no longer possible.

   The government officials are desperately seeking short-term solutions and have turned a blind eye to the facts and actual results that are right before them to be seen in areas that have already been fracked. It’s unbelievable.

10. Twig, I too still complain — loudly. And the fracking hasn’t even begun where I live…yet. I only became aware of the fracking situation recently (I was buried deeply in the Ovate grade! LOL) and was shocked and angry for all those who have already been affected. My heart goes out to you and all those who have already been victimized by the industry, and to our Earth Mother. We can’t stop trying to defend ourselves, and our earthly home…it’s the only one we have.

    • Yes, truly, and it breaks my heart over and over to see how callous and indifferent people are to Her majesty and aliveness – to them she’s only a ball of raw materials and resources to be wrested from her flesh without regard to consequences. We need to make our voices heard, at this point not just to our representatives but also to our fellow residents of this beautiful planet. I’ve found that’s difficult to do – so many will turn a deaf ear and give out rationalisations about why it’s not their fault. That’s a hard thing not to reply to in such a way that more defensiveness doesn’t occur. I’m thinking maybe a course in effective listening and communication would be good for me, as I do want to be more able to reach people when I have occasion to speak with them about these issues! Non-violent Communication, perhaps.

11. How does the National trust view all of the development on greenfield land, we are being swamped with it, our entire core strategy is being placed in a 3.5 mile radius, mostly on greenfield and (one third on) greenbelt, there won’t be and open space for over 3,5 miles radius, please help if you can

12. Phillip, something that deeply troubles me, is the question of the possibility that there is actually evil in the motivations of those (in the fossil fuel industry) who would ram their agenda through even though they know how destructive it is to the land and to the lives of those who live on it. Do you think that these people are actually evil? Or do they see what they’re doing as being somehow for the greater good? They must know how finite the reserves are, and that it’s not like there will be years and years of gas coming out of these deposits. Plus, the energy expended to energy acquired ratio is so narrow, it hardly seems worth their effort – I guess that’s what makes me wonder if they perhaps could even hate the Earth… Please tell me what you think – this question is truly disturbing me!

    • The companies are all about MONEY/GREED; they have raped and piliage more than the Vikings! Only their work involves, destroying the planet and the people on it all for the mighty dollar and their shareholders, or at least that the research I have found on this side of the pool!

      Laura, Frankie’s Mom,Augusta, WV
      *Autism Advocate (*Lioness/Mama Bear), *Environmental Advocate, don’t get my panties in a bunch over greed and the almighty dollar. *The dragon is slow to anger, as long as she sleeps, wake her up, (fracking her domain) and all hell cuts loose.

      • The Earth will have the last laugh, but a lot of people are going to be hurt before that happens. I suggest viewing a documentary entitled “Gasland” and its follow-up, “Gasland, Pt.2.”

        • Where do I watch, rent or buy? Gasland and Gasland II

      • I’ve not seen Gasland, but I recently saw Gasland II. It is a must-see for anyone concerned about fracking. But be ready to be upset.

        Then, if you want something a little more encouraging and uplifting…watch Money & Life — it talks about the Free Market thinking I talked about (below) and what we need to do to make changes in the way we view money.

        Also watch Paul Hawken’s video Blessed Unrest (5 minutes) and Bruce Lipton’s videos on Imaginal Cells…it explains what is happening to the world’s society in a way that spoke to me personally — maybe it will speak to some of you too…very uplifting, both of them.

        • Well, the good news is that probably soon there will be only eight or nine corporations running the whole show, so you’d only have to take out fewer of them than you originally thought, Iczr19552! : -)

        • Thanks for the referrals, Garagwyn. I hope that the optimism they put forth is actually attainable. I’ll check ’em out…

          “Gasland” is available through Netflix, and “Gasland Pt. 2” was just aired on HBO about a month ago.

      • Trust in Life, Twig. Trust in Life. 🙂 Regardless of what happens to any of us, we are spirit beings having a human experience, and Life will go on.

        • I know but sometimes when your backed into a corner and the fear/flight kicks in for other’s, my response is always I’m gonna get you, just wait and see,… not today, ……maybe not tomorrow…….but like a cat I’ll sit and watch……waiting……..waiting…..an when the opportunity comes……your mine! And it won’t be pretty.

      • I have seen Gasland (the first), and it was illuminating/horrifying… ),: I feel just totally horrified by all of this, glad it’s not happening near me, yet feeling how our Mother feels the pain no matter where it happens. The native elders near me told a seeker (who wrote extensively about his experiences) once that there’s no such thing as a “sacred place”, that all places are sacred!

13. It is exactly that — it is all about profits. If you listen to their talk, it is clear. Profit, profit, profit. “Fracking is the only thing that is going to save California from bankruptcy.” Never mind that we are in a drought and it is going to deplete our precious water sources and contaminate anything that is left. Never mind that it is going to send innumerable cracks deep into the earth where we already sit on earthquake faults. (And they plan to build a nuclear power plant nearby also!) Never mind that most of the people in the area that they are planning to frack next make their living off the land and depend on good soil and clean water (not to mention those of us who just need it to live!) Take a look at Pennsylvania…the areas that have been heavily fracked are desolate now where there used to be forests and homes and families, because they are uninhabitable. Families settled out of court and signed “confidentiality agreements” with the oil industry so they cannot talk about what really happened just to be able to afford to move and raise their families…otherwise the oil industry would have taken everything from them. No attorneys would take their cases because they knew the industry was too powerful and too rich to fight against. What does all that tell you?

    “Free Market Thinking” says “Profit before everything else.” Profit is the prime thing — it comes before the environment, before the welfare of the public, before any other concern. America does not have a capitalist society; true capitalism is based on concern for the environment and the welfare of the people. The people of America are the victims of Free Market Thinking, which has put Corporations and Big Business at the top 1%, where profit is everything, and the other 99% of the country is rapidly falling into poverty. The 99% are realizing that there is something more important than money: Life. But the 1% and the Free Market thinkers (like the oil industry) are not giving up their profits without a fight. Stay tuned; more news at 11:00.

    • I agree, about Pennsylvania. Had/have relatives; two are dead from
      “cancer”; lots of others have on going lung, liver and skin illnesses and one can’t carry a baby beyond three months, she’s in a mental facility due to the mental and emotional shock of loosing Loved ones and the miscarriages. Very sad, and no amount of money can buy back the way is was before the greedy oil companies came in with their lies and put dollar signs in everyone’s eyes. Well the lawsuit money is going to bury the dead and keep those effected by fracking, a chance for one more week, month…………………………Thank God for my faith and my daughter or I’d become a serial killer aiming at Corporations/Big Oil

      Laura, Frankie’s Mom
      Augusta, WV

    • “…send innumerable cracks deep into the earth where we already sit on earthquake faults.” and never mind that fracking has caused earthquakes even where they NEVER have earthquakes – what WILL happen then, in a region where the earth is so unstable already?

      • Exactly!

14. Been fighting fracking in Lancs for 2 years. The NT, RSPB, CPRE where all very slow to get involved in this issue even though we kept knocking on the door. I live about 3 miles from the Beconsall site in W.Lancs and about 10 miles from that Formby pic. The way the Balcombe site was established is almost identical to Beconsall i.e. Lancs Councty Council had the planning app in front of them in 2009, 2 x A4 notices went up in village in 2010 [no mention of hydrofracking] one down a private track, no one knew anything about it until a rig turned up in the middle of a field of cabbages [2011] People really need to get on board with this issue rather than thinking someone else will do it. We have produce many submissions on planning and waste disposal, commments on EIA/ERA and are going through all legal procedure. Check the DECC licensing map and see if you have any hydro carbon developments in your area, check your local planning webs frequently. High Volume, High Pressure, Slickwater HyrdoFracking with Long Laterals is new to this country and should be opposed in the strongest possible terms. Everywhere the industry goes there are pollution issues. Please take the time to do some more research. Taking the red pill is scary but why live an illusion?

    • Hi there. Good to hear what you’re doing. You say: check your local planning webs frequently. I understand the government has taken away the power of local councils to deal with such applications? An extraordinary move that disempowers the local community. Is that correct and if so who should we appeal to – the DECC?

      • I think governments across the planet are wresting power from We the People for the very wealthy who want to be wealthier. Our rules for fracking here in the US (with a supposedly environmental president) are so toothless that they are useless. From what I’m reading here, more of the same is going on elsewhere. I guess things have to get worse before they get better?

      • In the UK ‘The Growth and Infrastructure Bill’ – it will remove decisions on projects that are ‘in the national interest’ – interpret how you like – so whether its an incinerator project or fracking the local council will have no say. For now though [until the end of 2013 as I understand] the planning decisions are staying with the County Council. Interestingly, the manager of planning at LCC is now giving us strong clues as to what might happen. For example in a phone call he said with emphasis on one of the cases “it might go to appeal” – so, councils are getting pretty twitchy about all this.

15. This kind of thing is most alarming – both sides of the pond! The Land is at risk, and our rights are at risk as well! (They ARE starting to do such things here, as well). I weep for the Earth, who doesn’t have the power to rise up against them (not in an immediate way, anyway. She will of course – in the long term!)

16. It gets worse … http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/22/air-pollution-monitoring-stations-shut

    • That is most alarming!

    • Just looking at the photo in The Guardian article is enough to bust these soulless corporations for crimes against humanity. Why can’t we stop them?!?!

      • because, in the ages of the Earth, the ages of humankind, this is the direction of the pendulum’s swing right now. This is their last desperate grasp at trying to bend the Earth to their will, because they will not see that She will not be bent. They will lose. Tragically, though, so will many many innocent beings, human, furred, feathered an leafed. We must fight for as much as we can preserve – that is our task.

      • ^also our brethren with scales! 🙂

Comments are closed.