Scotland bans fracking after public consultation

The Scottish Government has banned fracking in the country after a public consultation overwhelmingly rejected the shale extraction process.

In January 2015, the government placed a moratorium on fracking until further clarity was obtained on its impact on the environment through wider consultation with various stakeholders.

The government received representations from several environmental groups seeking a ban on fracking, claiming that economic benefits to the industry would not justify the negative impact on the community, health, and climate.

More than 60,000 responses were received by the government during the four-month consultation process, with around 99% of those opposing the fracking technique and not convinced of the efficacy of regulation to mitigate potential negative impacts.

Scotland Minister for Energy Paul Wheelhouse said: “Having taken account of the interests of the environment, our economy, public health and the overwhelming majority of public opinion, the decision I am announcing today means fracking cannot and will not take place in Scotland.

“The views expressed through our consultation demonstrated that communities across Scotland, particularly in densely populated areas where developments could potentially take place, are not convinced there is a strong national economic argument when balanced against the risk and disruption they anticipate in areas, such as transport, pollution, crucially, their health and wellbeing.”

The Scottish Parliament is expected to vote on the matter in the near future.

Following the parliamentary vote, the government will undertake a strategic environmental assessment to understand the impact of the decision.

In October last year, the country banned underground coal gasification (UCG) development in the wake of the publication of an independent report that warned of serious environmental implications caused by UCG.