Fracking protesters gather outside Lancashire County Hall
They're demonstrating that there is 'no local support' for fracking across the county
Last updated 27th Nov 2023
Liz Truss's Government lifted the fracking ban in England as part of a wider plan to explore avenues to improve energy security.
Environmental campaigners are not happy about this as fracking has been blamed for leaking millions of tons of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.
Now, protesters are preparing to gather outside Lancashire County Hall in Preston city centre to remind councillors there is little support of fracking across the county.
One of the organisers, prolific anti-fracking protester Tina Rothery from Frack-free Lancashire spoke to us.
She said:
"It's a gathering to let the councillors know that we're still here, we're still saying 'no' and nothing has changed so as they go into their meetings and discuss fracking, this is still a very dedicated community.
"I really hope we get a really tremendous turn out and I expect we will because it's something the local community has been very firm, very clear and very transparent about.
"When it was announced there was an instant exhaustion of knowing what was ahead and then, an instant feeling of sadness for the people who are living closest to the site because they're going to be terrified.
Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said the impact of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine means securing domestic energy supplies is vital as he defended lifting the moratorium on fracking, which has been in place since 2019 after a series of tremors caused by the process.
Mr Rees-Mogg suggested limits on acceptable levels of seismic activity are too restrictive and said the Government is determined to "realise any potential sources of domestic gas".
What is fracking?
Fracking is the process of hydraulic fracturing, which uses high-pressure liquid to release gas from shale formations.
The 2019 Conservative manifesto pledged not to lift England's moratorium unless "the science shows categorically it can be done safely".
A Government-commissioned report by the British Geological Survey (BGS) was inconclusive, saying more data was needed, but despite the lack of scientific progress, Ms Truss's administration has torn up the manifesto commitment.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said lifting the ban means future applications will be considered "where there is local support".
Developers will need to have the necessary licences, permissions and consents in place before they can commence operations.
Mr Rees-Mogg said while the Government will "always try to limit disturbance" to those living and working near to fracking sites, "tolerating a higher degree of risk and disturbance appears to us to be in the national interest".
BEIS said the BGS review "recognised that we have limited current understanding of UK geology and onshore shale resources, and the challenges of modelling geological activity in relatively complex geology sometimes found in UK shale locations".