Chemical Companies Go to Court to Challenge Scotland Fracking Ban
The international petrochemical giant Ineos, joined by the Scottish company Reach Coal Seams Gas, is in court to challenge the Scottish government’s indefinite moratorium on fracking.
Faced with overwhelming public opposition to drilling, the government announced early this year that it would extend a fracking moratorium indefinitely. The companies are trying their case in the Court of Session this week.
Ineos is the main shale license holder in the UK, and plans to frack parts of Scotland and England in order to use the hydrocarbons as a feedstock for plastic production. The company currently imports fracked hydrocarbons from the United States.
In response to the court challenge, Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Europe, released the following statement:
“Ineos’s appalling and astonishing record of environmental violations at its facilities across the globe should warrant serious scrutiny. Now it wants to do more harm to clean air, safe water, and a livable climate by trying to force the Scottish government to let it frack their country. Tens of thousands of people across Scotland have spoken out against this dangerous plan, and Scottish officials were right to stop Ineos before it could start drilling. The future belongs to clean energy, not to fossil fuel corporate behemoths like Ineos, which will use every tool at its disposal to force fracking on Scotland. Ineos has lost in the court of public opinion, and they will lose this court challenge as well.”
EU/UK Andy Gheorghiu, Food & Water Europe, [email protected]
US Peter Hart, Food & Water Watch, [email protected], 732-839-0871