You are here

10 Metre High Mock Drilling Rig Erected Outside Parliament

Anti-fracking campaigners set up a ten-metre-high mock drilling rig in Parliament Square today in protest at the Government’s support for the controversial process.  The rig, featuring a ‘flare’ that fires up every hour, was installed by Greenpeace and is located opposite the Houses of Parliament in London. RT reports: It was erected to coincide with the first day of a public inquiry into energy company Cuadrilla’s persistent applications to frack for shale gas in Lancashire. Last June, Lancashire county councilors rejected the firm’s application to frack on the grounds it would have “an unacceptable adverse impact on the landscape” and would have an “unacceptable noise impact for local residents.” Community Secretary Greg Clark has said he will intervene to take the final decision. A survey conducted by Populus for Greenpeace found that 62 percent of people think local councils should have the right to permit or reject fracking applications in their area. But ministers have sought to justify the government’s move, claiming the search for shale gas is in the national interest. Greenpeace, however, accuses the government of attempting to fast track fracking in the UK by reserving the right to overturn local decisions. “We are here to fight for [...]