Local environmental campaigners opposing Rathlin Energy UK have lots to talk about and celebrate when they meet up this week.
Two “pop up” protest gatherings are planned as follows.
Wednesday 1st July Crawberry Hill 4.30 to 6.00
Friday 3rd July Sproatley Village Green 4.30 to 6.00
1st July 2014 was the date that Rathlin announced they would start well testing at Crawberry Hill and West Newton A.
They told the community liaison meetings they would take about 6 weeks and the plan was to move the test rig between both sites.
That never happened – for two reasons.
In response to the “zero tolerance” policy adopted by Humberside police the Protectors at Crawberry Hill built the castle across the entrance – delaying Rathlin until they obtained a High Court order and the bailiffs moved in on 2nd August.
Even so, Rathlin have not achieved a single day of work at Crawberry Hill since they returned to the site. (David Montagu Smith promised to start work “immediately” when he successfully obtained a further 12 months permission to explore for gas at the Walkington site from the ERYC Planning Committee on the 2nd October 2014.)
This continuing delay is because of the difficulties they encountered at West Newton A with pressure in the well going out of control followed by gas leaks. As a result of complaints from the Protectors and local residents there, the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive had to take action.
The result is that work cannot start at Crawberry Hill until Rathlin can prove they have a test rig that meets Health and Safety standards and they still do not have Environment Agency approval for a safe method of dealing with gas produced during well testing.
Rathlin only have until the end of October 2015 to complete all planned work at Crawberry Hill. As of 1st July they have 119 days to complete a 90 day well test, let alone drill and test a second well as planned.
Remember they started the process of applying for the extension to their planning permission in the last week of July 2014 – they can hardly expect another extension – can they?
Meanwhile we await the outcome of consultation by the Environment Agency on proposals by Rathlin to create a soakaway for waste surface water at Crawberry Hill and to allow waste surface water to drain into the Lambwath Stream – and adjacent SSSI at West Newton. This bizarre proposal underlines the cost pressures faced by Rathlin who claim they will save over £1000/ trip by not having to use tankers to remove water from their sites.
The same delay resulting from incompetence applies to West Newton A which is mothballed. At West Newton B Rathlin have to produce a full archeological survey, a detailed plan to manage wildlife concerns and a detailed construction plan. It is hard to see how that leaves them time to construct the site ( 7 weeks) drill a well, (6-10 weeks), and then test it for around 90 days, a total of 180 days or 6 months minimum, before reaching a decision about whether to start production or to hand the licence back to DECC which they have to do by March 2016 – the Drill or Drop clause in the licence arrangement.
So we look forward to meeting up this week to mark the anniversary of testing which was never finished because of the Protection community and at the same time celebrate the stupendous victory of the anti-fracking community in Lancashire – which means that we are back in the front-line of opposition to extreme energy and the threat to our water and the risks of further climate change.
