Star date: 27th January 2015

SALFORD LABOUR MPS ABSTAIN IN FRACKING FREEZE VOTE

Salford's Labour MPs all abstained yesterday in a vote to declare a freeze, or moratorium, on fracking while an independent assessment is carried out into its impact on climate change, the environment, health and safety and the economy.

Instead the Infrastructure Bill was passed with some added conditions including a ban on fracking in national parks and stricter regulations, which Friends of the Earth hailed as a `Government retreat'.

Full details here...

Yesterday, in the House of Commons, Salford's MPs – Hazel Blears, Graham Stringer and Barbara Keeley – had the chance to help put a freeze on fracking but chose to abstain during a vote on a clause in the Infrastructure Bill which would have seen a moratorium on the shale gas industry for up to two and a half years while the risks are assessed (see previous Salford Star article – click here).

The motion was backed by a group of cross party MPs including Bolton Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi and Green MP Caroline Lucas who were calling for Britain to follow the example of New York State, but in the event the vote was lost by 52 in favour to 308 against, with the majority of Labour MPs abstaining – including, strangely, Yasmin Qureshi herself.

The vote on the moratorium came as a leaked letter from Chancellor George Osborne to Cabinet colleagues urged them to "make it a personal priority" to push fracking. In the event, the complete Infrastructure Bill was passed with some Labour Party amendments  inserted, which included a ban on fracking in national parks, stricter conditions for the regulation of shale gas extraction and compatibility with climate targets.

Friends of the Earth called the final Bill a `Government retreat' on fracking but others were scathing of the Labour Party `betrayal' on anti-fracking social media sites...

"It's clear that bar 52 of them, MPs only care about money over their constituents' health, despite the people clearly voicing their opinion and opposition to this" wrote one campaigner "If I was an MP I'd be very scared right now, the people won't take this lying down. Not this time, or, probably, ever again."... "I feel betrayed by Labour" wrote another.

Meanwhile, IGas Energy, which aims to frack at Barton Moss in Salford, released a statement by its under fire Chief Exec Andrew Austin who argued; "This is a milestone for the industry as there is now clarity and certainty in terms of regulation which enables both new and existing players to invest in shale and Britain's energy future with confidence."

It didn't stop the meteoric slide in IGas shares which now register under twenty points, down from a high of 140 points last summer.