The UK government has been accused of including a large loophole in its legal definition of fracking which could enable companies to bypass safety regulations, according to a leading geologist. In rules that came into force on 6 April, fracking is defined by the amount of high-pressure fluid used to fracture shale rocks and release gas or oil. However, the only well fracked in the UK so far, which caused small earthquakes near Blackpool in 2011, would not qualify as fracking under the definition. Furthermore, according to Prof Stuart Haszeldine at the University of Edinburgh, analysis of more than 17,000 g as wells fracked in the US from 2000-10 shows 43% would not be defined as fracking under UK rules. More than 4,500 US wells were fracked to release oil in that time but 89% would not be covered by the UK definition. The safety regulations in the new rules, such as independent inspection of the integrity of the well and sealing it after use, only apply if the drilling activity is defined as fracking.
Guardian 13th April 2016 read more »
Peabody Energy became the latest miner to buckle under the weight of the commodities price collapse after filing for bankruptcy in the US on Wednesday. The coal giant’s voluntary Chapter 11 petition comes less than a month after the 133-year-old company stunned the market by admitting it had failed to meet bond repayments totaling more than £3bn, and may not be able to survive without protection from the US court system.
Telegraph 13th April 2016 read more »
BBC 13th April 2016 read more »
Times 14th April 2016 read more »
FT 13th April 2016 read more »