Post Tags: activism

Scotland Bans Fracking. The UK and U.S. Should as Well

Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe

Washington, D.C. and Brussels – “Today, Scotland’s government banned fracking, acknowledging what the science shows: if we want to address climate change, we have to start with cutting fossil fuel emissions.”

“Banning fracking is a necessary step towards beating the worst effects of climate chaos, and the UK and the U.S. should follow Scotland’s example. In the U.S., we already have the means to start moving off of fracking swiftly—the Off Fossil Fuels For a Better Future Act, which would mandate a just transition to 100 percent clean renewable energy by 2035, starting with 80 percent within the next 10 years.

“Giant energy company Ineos, which invested heavily in its Scottish facility at Grangemouth, fought hard against this ban, even threatening to explore legal action against the government if it passed. But people power prevailed, and it will continue to prevail. We can’t let companies like ExxonMobil and Ineos stop the inevitable march towards clean energy. Bold and swift policy change is our only hope for addressing our climate goals. We applaud the Scottish government for doing what’s right for people and the planet.”

Contact:

Frida Kieninger: +32 (0) 2893 1045 – [email protected]

European Parliament Votes on New Security of Gas Supply Regulation

Brussels, 12 September 2017 – Today, the European Parliament voted for a new regulation that provides a set of cross-border measures to deal with supply shortages, which includes the elimination of barriers for gas flow.

Food & Water Europe is disappointed that the final text of the regulation fails to see the bigger picture and does not contain a long-term view on how to tackle the problems around gas supply; specifically, it does not question the problems of Europe’s dependence on gas itself.

“The text barely mentions demand side measures crucial to reducing peak demand or energy efficiency measures capable of significantly reducing our gas use,” says Frida Kieninger, campaign officer at Food & Water Europe. “Considering the known impact of fossil fuels on climate change, it is crucial that investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure is limited as much as possible, if not completely ceased.”

With every 1% in gas demand reduction, the EU can decrease its import dependence by 2.6%. The European gas network is already prepared for a range of disruption scenarios, with only parts of South-Eastern Europe lacking supply security measures.

“Instead of focussing on new interconnections and expanding bi-directional capacity, the EU Parliament must open its eyes to real solutions and not implement a mere treatment of symptoms. Industry has been given a big role in assessing the needed measures to secure European gas supply, so it is not a big surprise that the construction of more gas infrastructure is seen as a main approach to enhance energy security. We clearly see an issue of conflict of interest here,” says Kieninger.

Europe does not need more pipelines, locking us into fossil gas with its devastating impact on the climate and the safety, health and environment of supply countries. All efforts need to be directed towards real, long-term solutions, including aggressive investment in distributed renewable energy generation and energy efficiency measures.

Contact:

Frida Kieninger, Food & Water Europe, Campaign Officer, Rue d’Edimbourg 26, Brussels 1050, Belgium, +32 487 24 99 05, fkieninger(at)fweurope.org

UK Court Injunction Won’t Stop Anti-Fracking Movement

Washington, D.C. and Brussels – On July 31, petrochemical giant Ineos Corporation won a High Court injunction intended to stifle protest against the company’s plans to frack sites in the UK.

In response, Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe Executive Director Wenonah Hauter issued the following statement:

“The public knows the dangers fracking poses to our clean air and water, and that’s why activists in England are taking bold action to protect their communities against these threats. Ineos would like to stifle this movement, and unfortunately this High Court injunction has given the company a potentially powerful tool to threaten those advocating for a healthy climate and a livable world. If Ineos thinks an interim court injunction will stop the movement to protect our water, climate and communities from fracking, they are in for a surprise.”

“The critical struggle to pull back from the climate precipice is too important to allow temporary setbacks like this court ruling to stop the anti-fracking movement. Fracked gas and all fossil fuels must be replaced with clean, renewable energy immediately if we’re going to secure a safe, livable future for coming generations.”

Advocacy Groups Food & Water Watch, Food & Water Europe Oppose Chemical Giant Ineos’ Plans to Frack England

Groups file comments against initial steps to drill and frack in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire

Brussels, Belgium – Food & Water Europe and Food & Water Watch filed formal comments today opposing plans by the international chemical company Ineos to begin the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in England. To date, this highly harmful process of natural gas extraction has not taken hold in the country, but Ineos hopes to change that by drilling exploratory wells in both Harthill, South Yorkshire and Bramleymoor Lane, Derbyshire. The groups submitted comments on both proposals indicating that these planned drillings are the first steps in what would inevitably become a full-blown, highly invasive fracking operation in the region, destroying rural landscapes and threatening public health and safety in nearby communities. Any approval granted for initial exploration would lead to negative and irreversible effects on the globally-esteemed national treasure Sherwood Forest. The groups urged the respective local Councils to reject Ineos’ applications and protect their communities.

The comments submitted by the groups detail the widespread impacts of fracking in places around the world where the extreme oil and gas extraction system is deployed, including poor air quality, drinking and surface water contamination, and land alterations. In addition, they point out the particularly poor environmental and public safety record of Ineos. For example, in Grangemouth, Scotland, where Ineos operates a massive chemical plant, the company has breached health and safety regulations 34 times in the last four years alone. The facility has been officially condemned as “poor” for pollution levels for three years in a row, while experiencing more than 20 staff injured since the start of 2015.

“I don’t think there’s a clear, adequate degree of understanding here among local authorities regarding exactly what fracking would mean for this countryside,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe, who recently visited threatened communities in the UK. “I would advise any local authority who is considering going along with fracking to consider thoroughly the inevitable and irrevocable harm it would bring to this region. Once fracking is let in, it is here to stay.”

Fracking and related industrial activity is also a significant source of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. As long as government officials allow companies like Ineos to pursue continued fossil fuel development, we will never be saved from the impending climate crisis we now face. Instead of greenlighting irresponsible energy projects like the Ineos wells and prolonging our addiction to damaging fossil fuels, our officials should be pursuing renewable energy mandates.

Shale Gas Bramleymoor Lane Submission:
https://www.foodandwatereurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FoodandwaterEuropeFWE-FWW_Ineos_ShaleGasBramleymoorLane_Submission.pdf

ShaleGasPlansHarthill_Submission:
https://www.foodandwatereurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FoodandswaterEuropeFWE-FWW_Ineos_ShaleGasPlansHarthill_Submission.pdf

Contact:
Frida Kieninger, – +32 (0) 2893 1045 – [email protected]
Scott Edwards – +1 202.683.4969 – [email protected]

Petrochemical Expansion in Europe Means More Fracking in the United States

Ineos plans to build new plant to handle more fracked gas shipped across the Atlantic

Brussels: – 14 June, 2017 — The Financial Times reports that European energy giant INEOS announced plans to build a new petrochemical plant that uses fracked gas from the United States as a feedstock for producing propylene, a raw material used in making plastics. The company relies on its new fleet of “dragon ships” to act as a virtual pipeline, shipping gas liquids across the Atlantic Ocean.

In response, Food & Water Europe executive director Wenonah Hauter issued the following statement:

“Fracking has already done terrible damage to the air and water across Ohio and Pennsylvania. Now, the suffering in these front-line communities will increase, all to serve the corporate profits of the plastics industry. This means more drilling, more pipelines, and more pollution—all to serve the interests of a massive petrochemical corporation, owned by a billionaire.

“The Ineos business model of shipping fracking gas liquids across the ocean does damage on both sides of the Atlantic. Communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania suffer the effects of fracking, while those living near the petrochemical facilities are forced to live with air pollution and the plastic litter polluting local coasts. The petrochemical plants emit massive amounts of air and climate pollutants, and Scottish environmental regulators have repeatedly cited Ineos for violating emissions standards.

“To protect the safety of communities in the United States and Europe, and to prevent the worst impacts of fossil fuel-linked climate chaos, political leaders must listen to the grassroots activists who are calling for an end to fracking everywhere.”

Contact: Andy Gheorghiu, Food & Water Europe, Fracking Policy Advisor, Food & Water Europe, +49 (0) 5631 50 69 507 (land), +49 (0) 160 20 30 974 (mobile), agheorghiu(at)fweurope.org

Fracking Legislative Package Enters into Force

Fracking torpedoes implementation of Paris Agreement on Climate Change
(German Version)

Berlin, 10 February 2017 — Today, one day before the German legislative package on fracking enters into force, environmental umbrella organization Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR) – with its member organizations Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND), Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) and Robin Wood as well as Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), Umweltinstitut München, PowerShift and Food & Water Europe – fears that now more fracking projects will be realized. They are particularly concerned that fracking in tight sandstone layers, so-called tight gas fracking, is explicitly authorized by the new legislation, and could even be permitted in otherwise protected areas. There are also loopholes allowing fracking for “research projects” in shale, clay, coal bed and marl rock formations.

With this fracking policy, the German government undermines its own goal of being a climate protection leader. At the same time more and more countries in Europe are deciding on fracking bans, the grand coalition in Germany is prolonging the fossil era and hampering the implementation of the Paris Agreement with this fracking legislation, adopted in June 2016. This is a devastating signal to the international community, particularly since Germany will be in the international spotlight, not only hosting this year’s G20 summit but also the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

“We need a clear ban on any kind of oil and gas fracking in order to reach the climate goals as adopted in the Paris Agreement. The German Government has to live up to its international promises and speed up the energy transition [Energiewende] instead of further relying on bygone ages by developing fossil fuels,” says DNR president Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert.

According to the environment protection and nature conservation organizations, it’s now also up to the German federal states to finally ban fracking. The legislative package allows federal state governments to veto research projects for fracking in shale, clay, coal bed and marl rock formations. By consistently identifying protected areas, federal states can moreover rule out tight gas fracking.

Contact:

Andy Gheorghiu, Food & Water Europe, Fracking Policy Advisor, Food & Water Europe, Tel.: 05631/5069507, Mobil: 0160/2030974, E-Mail: [email protected]

Daniel Hiß, DNR-Frackingexperte, Mobil: 0157/89203007, E-Mail: [email protected]

Ann Kathrin Schneider, BUND Leiterin internationale Klimapolitik, Tel.: 030/27586-468, Mobil: 0151/24087297, E-Mail: [email protected]

Sebastian Scholz, NABU Leiter Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz, Tel: 030/2849841617, Mobil: 0172/4179727, Email: [email protected]

Dr. Cornelia Nicklas, DUH, Leiterin Recht, Mobil: 0162/6344657, E-Mail: [email protected]

Dr. Philip Bedall, ROBIN WOOD, Energiereferent, Mobil: 0160/99783336, E-Mail: [email protected]

Franziska Buch, Umweltinstitut München, Referentin für Energie und Klima, Tel: 089/30774917, E-Mail: [email protected],

Laura Weis, PowerShift, Fachpromotorin für Klima- & Ressourcengerechtigkeit, Tel.: 030/42085295, E-Mail: [email protected]