On
December 16, 2015, the British Members of Parliament approved the Onshore
Hydraulic Fracturing (Protected Areas) Draft Regulations
limiting hydraulic fracturing operations in defined “protected groundwater
source areas” and “other protected areas.” The Draft Regulations were presented
for debate before Parliament in July 2015.
The
Draft Regulations define “other protected areas” as “areas of land at a depth
of less than 1,200 metres beneath – a National Park; the Broads; an area of
outstanding natural beauty; or a World Heritage site.” According to the
National Parks Act of 1975, petroleum operations are prohibited on any land
that is a national park. These new regulations mean that hydraulic fracturing
operations will be allowed under national parks as long as wells are
horizontally drilled outside the national parks’ boundaries – which revives the
debate on essential questions relating to public concerns as to environmental
protection.
According
to a media
report, “Ministers used a statutory instrument . . . to push
through the new rules, which means legislation can pass into law without a
debate in the House of Commons.”
Writing by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow
12/18/2015
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