Scottish Parliament Opposed to Fracking

In a narrow non-binding vote of 32 votes to 29 with 62 abstentions, the Scottish Parliament has approved the regional Labour Party’s proposed ban on fracking. The bill introduced by Labour’s environment spokesperson, Claudia Beamish, received the support of the Green and Liberal Democrat parties, as the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) abstained and the Conservatives voted against it.

The SNP, which earlier accused Labour of “trying to grab headlines,” had wanted to hold off on voting until a study of possible hazards associated with fracking is completed sometime next year. Scotland currently has had a moratorium on fracking, but has stopped short of an outright ban to allow for further consultation and a public health impact assessment.

Following the vote, Beamish said the government “must now clarify whether or not they will respect the will of parliament and introduce an outright ban on fracking. It would be outrageous for this important vote to be ignored.”

Commenting on the proposal earlier, new energy minister, Paul Wheelhouse (SNP) said the government remains “deeply skeptical” about fracking and that no drilling would take place unless there was “clear evidence that it would cause no harm.” 

Polyolefins giant Ineos, which has been at the forefront of the drive to produce shale gas across the UK, said last week it had turned its attention away from Scotland and is concentrating its resources on England, where the climate is more favorable.