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No Shale Gas in Kent!

Stevew | 01.12.2011 21:28 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | South Coast

Representatives from Deal With It and other environmental groups in Kent are calling on Kent County Council (KCC) to throw out the planning application for Shale Gas Exploration at Woodnesborough near Sandwich when it goes to its planning committee on Tuesday 6th December.

Leafleting in Deal High Street
Leafleting in Deal High Street


The Application by South Wales based Coastal Oil & Gas Ltd for a test drill site at a field backing on to the A256 & A257 is seen as the first step in using the controversial fracking method in East Kent. This ‘hydraulic fracturing’ uses millions of gallons of water mixed with sand and cocktail of chemicals (many of them toxic) to smash rock layers deep in the earth to produce a number of unconventional gases like methane and other shale gases.

Rosemary Rechter , Deal With It Co-ordinator said: “ A similar application the in Vale of Glamorgan by Coastal Oil & Gas was unanimously thrown out in October over concerns by that local authority over contamination of the water aquifers. To state the obvious, Wales has a lot of water; East Kent is one of the most arid places in the country. Water is key to our communities, local economy and rural life. We should not be taking the risk, especially as our county has so much potential for renewable energy”

Rosemary Rechter, continued: “These are large 24x7 noisy industrial operations requiring 100’s of truck journeys to support their operations. The experience of the USA shows that operators put in dozens of wellheads so the blight could be widespread across our district.”

Deal With It were out leafleting last weekend in Deal High Street and will be there again this coming Saturday. They will also be attending the Planning Meeting in Maidstone to register their objections on the 6th Dec.

For more details check the Deal With It website at www.dealwithit.org, or contact by email  fracking@dealwithit.org .

Notes to Editors:
‘Deal With It’ is a community Green group active in trying to minimise impact on the environment and tackle climate change in the Deal & Dover area. This group of enthusiastic and committed local people share common values and aims with the Transition Initiatives movement, which was created to address the challenges of climate change and peak oil.  http://www.dealwithit.org/ . More information on the Transition Towns movement can be found at  http://www.transitionnetwork.org/

Stevew
- e-mail: press@dealwithit.org
- Homepage: www.dealwithit.org