by John Prince
The Environment Agency has delayed its decision to allow further drilling for oil and gas to continue in the East Riding following public concerns.
Rathlin Energy (UK) has had a permit for drilling wells and long-term oil and gas production at West Newton near Burton Constable Hall since 2013.
It has applied for a variation to the permit for another site nearby called West Newton A, which is on Fosham Road in High Fosham. The company wants to carry out what it calls “reservoir stimulation” on a well there, which is designed to improve the efficiency of the flow of oil or gas through rock into the well.
There are three main types of this process. Fracking is the most well-known and widely used method. It involves injecting high-pressure fluid into rock to create fractures. Acidising uses acid to dissolve blockages and makes it easier for oil or gas to get through, and matrix treatments aim to restore natural permeability without fracturing the rock.
After a review at the end of last year, the Environment Agency said it was “minded to” issue the permit variation. The application met the legal environmental requirements. Because of this the agency is legally obliged to issue a permit, but a final decision has yet to be made.
It was planned that the consultation period would end on Tuesday, September 9. It has now been extended to Monday, October 6.
The permit sets out strict guidelines that operators must stick to, in order to protect people and the environment. If companies do not follow them they face having their permits suspended or taken from them, fines, and even criminal prosecution.
Kathryn Richardson, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said: “It’s important to us that people have the opportunity to view the consultation documents and provide a response, so we have extended the consultation period. I’d encourage interested parties to send us their comments and we will make our final decision once we have reviewed the responses.”
But campaigners against the plans are worried that the work will ruin the environment long-term, and create problems in the local area.
Campaigner Harry Clark, 82, who attends meetings with Rathlin as a liaison representative for Ellerby Parish, said: “The extension is logical and it was requested because the original proposal was objected to. It’s not good. We don’t want fracking or drilling for oil and gas in the area.
“The amount of traffic we get and the environmental damage that occurs is out of all proportion to what they claim it will be. The pollution caused, especially with the burning of waste gas, has caused problems for some people. But the company just get on with what they want to do. They’ve already drilled wells, and as far as I understand they can’t get anything out of them.
“Fracking is a very inexact thing. We don’t know what the effects will be. The Government puts strict limits on seismic activity that can be generated by fracking, and if the company goes over those limits it can cause problems like it did in Lancashire and Lincolnshire. Those sites have gone now because the limits were exceeded.”
Anita Howell, 77, who lives at the end of the main road leading up to the site, said: “Ever since they first suggested it, we were concerned about the effect it would have on the land, on the water course and on residents.
“There were some incidents where property was disturbed and we were concerned about that. We thought there were better ways to operate than fracking. We had some disturbance underground when they first did the tests.
“They were quite co-operative and did listen to us at the time but it didn’t stop them doing it. It’s a good thing that they’re giving people longer to object, and I think you’ll get the same objections again. There’s nothing new that people want to say. It’s gone on for a long time now. We used to go to meetings with Rathlin and they explained the procedures. They’re quite complicated but at least they were willing to discuss it with us.”
Her husband Les Howell, 79, said: “There are three problems. First is transport, as we’re talking serious-sized trucks using these country roads that aren’t suitable. They’re driving down these roads regularly, passing properties 24 hours a day.
“Our properties will be devalued and we’ll have to live with that. The second is the environment. It’s ruinous. Around the world, you don’t just have one fracking site but multiple ones close to each other. I’m afraid it’ll become an industrial wasteland.
“The third is pollution. All our water is provided by a ginormous water supply, or an aquifer, under East Yorkshire which has been there for thousands of years. If they pump chemicals down and the water becomes polluted we’ll have no water. I think they’ve said this is a 20-year renewable contract, so really that could mean forever.”
Copies of the proposal can be viewed at New Ellerby Methodist Church on Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, and at the Environment Agency office on Mill Lane in Beverley.
People can send their responses directly via the consultation website, by email to [email protected] or by phone on 03708 506506.