Unconventional gas exploitation - "fracking" - is a ridiculous idea. The Government's arguments used to justify fracking are as follows: That it will create jobs, that it’ll bring down energy bills, that it’s good for our energy security and it's a transition fuel to a green energy economy. 1. That it will create jobs. A Department for the Environment and Climate Change’s (DECC) report estimated a maximum of 24,300 of them. Yet 400,000 jobs could be created by 2020 by investment in the clean energy sector. 2. That it’ll bring down energy bills like it has in the US. But the UK’s geology is more complex than in the US, which means that the process here will be uneconomic. Even if that wasn’t the case, unlike the US, the UK exports gas as part of a European gas market, and as fracking companies will sell to the highest bidder of these European countries, there could never be a guarantee that UK energy users would be the beneficiaries. So the argument about not importing from Russia doesn't stand! 3. That it’s good for our energy security A House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee recommendation was that shale gas should not be relied on to contribute to energy security. An energy security expert has said the best way to reduce energy security risks is to promote renewable power generation, improve energy efficiency and reduce overall energy demand. 4. A transition fuel to a green energy economy. Department for Energy and Climate Change-commissioned report on fracking’s greenhouse gas emissions has been shown to be based on poor data and exaggeration. When the actual figures are factored-in, the report shows that burning shale gas to produce electricity is about as bad as, or very possibly even worse than burning coal! The arguments against fracking are so numerous: The UK’s geology is too complex for fracking to be safe or economic. The UK’s geography means we don’t have America’s wide open spaces away from the population or agriculture. Water contamination. The UN has listed seven different ways this can occur. The huge quantities of water required. The carcinogenic properties of the chemicals used. Air pollution. Earthquakes. Industrialisation of countryside and loss of agricultural land to roads, well-pads, pipelines, compressor stations and so on. Traffic/chemical spills/noise and light pollution. Impact on tourism. Even if none of the above applied this doesn’t discount the big one – climate change. A growing number of climate change scientists are recognising that to have any chance of us staying below the two degree increase in global temperature that is required to avoid catastrophic climate change, we have to leave 80% of all already discovered fossil fuels in the ground. So why does this government want to find more of the stuff if we can’t burn it? There are attractive alternatives, particularly for the UK as we have the best renewable energy resources in Europe. That’s where our energy security is - and the 400,000 jobs to get our economy back on track. A policy of support for fracking is a vote-loser. As elected representatives of Rossendale we the community call on you to say no to fracking and yes to keeping Rossendale and Darwenfrack free?

Although the scientific community have understood the dangers we face in climate change this is only just beginning to filter into the general public. MPs seem to be very loath to understand the issues. People have been saying fracking is safe rather than understanding that it is another fossil fuel and will contribute to global warming. Its short term safety is irrelevant. Why not spend our time and energy cleverly to produce the gas for our carbon neutral future. Invest in the small because we understand the big picture. Who are the lobbyists that persuade our MPs to allow our landscape to be ransacked for something that will only encourage more extreme climate events? Biomass gas could be an income stream for our farmers and Councils while giving us a carbon neutral gas. Invest now in our long term future - not in a fossil fuel.

Members of the public find it difficult to support a political party 100%. Our system is out of date, our MPs out of touch, the public go unheard. We agree with points made by the Lib Dems, the Conservatives, Labour, the Green Party, the SNP etc and sometimes we disagree with them all. Either way we can't communicate with the government effectively. The system needs to work for us all but instead it's dusty, nobody really understands it or cares to sort it out with any long term vision. We need to start again. Simplify. Direct questions, direct answers. If regular referendums were to take place, the public are truly part of the process, allowing us to demonstrate what we care about, that we're united and want to invest in the future of this land and it's people. Less moaning and more doing, having a proactive and fair say, feeling satisfied that the decisions are being made and supported by the majority of the UK. Let the UK public vote for their future. This Kingdom can then begin to feel proud and respected, and most importantly, united.

Fracking is opposed by so many people across the country and yet the government won't listen to our protests. Theyre not listening to demonstrations and theyre not listening to local councils. But there is one thing they listen to: money. If we tell energy suppliers we won't buy from them if they deal in fracked shale gas, then they won't buy it. If no one buys it, it won't be financially viable and then maybe the government will finally understand that we the people can't be ignored on this issue! We need to act fast, before fracking starts in the UK.

In making these industries exempt, the funding has to come from elsewhere. The Conservative government has made it clear that it will not finance renewable energy off its own back, so funding will instead be passed on to regular households. The Government proposes to withdraw support for short-term funding (the next 4-5 years) of renewable technologies like solar panels and wind turbines as they are concerned it will add £ 7 p.a. to consumers energy bills which is unacceptable. Households will see their bills increase by £5 a year for the next four years to fund this exemption, at a total cost of £20 added to household bills. What has also been revealed is that projected savings from “reforming” (closing) the renewable obligation and feed-in tariff (renewable energy support schemes) will save households a total of £17 over the same period. Clearly, this action does not fit with the Governments intention to save consumers money on their energy bills as this action actually increases consumer energy bills. Renewable energy industries benefit communities, reduce wholesale future electrical energy costs and reduce pollution, making the environment a better place for current and future generations. Money used to support these schemes will now be passed as "Levy Control Framework Exemptions" (tax breaks) to high energy busines users - who pollute the planet and cause pollution related illnesses. The European Commission has aggregated a list of industries it considers intensive users of energy. That list, includes but is not limited to industries such as the mining of hard coal and the manufacture of refined petroleum products. On the face of it, it looks as if savings made from the feed-in tariff are being handed straight to large energy users to make sure they can survive the kind of difficult business environment the government is creating for domestic solar. It’s a galling prospect, and one that flies completely against any ‘the polluter pays’ principle put across in environmental law. “Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children” Please sign this petition to let George Osborne know we want a clean environment for our children and not to give money used to support clean energy industries away to support polluting fossil fuel companies. More details on the link below, but please read the quote below the link from Carl Sagan - a famous astronomer who was moved to write about the last image of our planet, taken as a Voyager satelite left our galaxy : http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/editors_blog/fit_cut_savings_all_but_handed_to_potential_polluters_under_eii_2592 “From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” ― Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot:

While big energy companies make record profits, the fuel bills of ordinary Londoners are out of control. And while other major cities make the transition to clean energy -- tackling air pollution and climate change -- London is lagging behind. We don’t have to accept profiteering, poverty and pollution. Switched On London is calling for a people-powered alternative. A publicly owned company with social justice, clean energy and democracy at its core... SOCIAL JUSTICE --> We want an energy company that offers fair, affordable prices, based on a progressive pricing system. --> We want an energy company that does not cut-off access to those who can’t pay and that does not install unwanted prepayment meters. --> We want an energy company that re-invests all revenues in measures to address fuel poverty and the cost of living crisis, particularly prioritising ambitious investment in household energy efficiency measures. --> We want an energy company that treats its workers fairly, meaning paying at least a London Living Wage, good terms and conditions, secure, unionised and non-precarious work. CLEAN ENERGY --> We want ambitious public investment in new renewable energy generating capacity (we are initiating research into an appropriate specific investment target). A significant portion should be invested in renewable capacity in London. --> The GLA and London local authorities must divest their pension funds from fossil fuels, and re-invest this money to fund the new renewable capacity we need. Other public funding sources for new renewable investment to be explored include municipal bonds and borrowing. --> We want an energy company that aims to sell 100% renewable energy as soon as feasibly possible. DEMOCRACY --> We want a company fully owned by London public bodies (without any private partners) but controlled by people directly. --> To do this, we want to integrate a range of democratic mechanisms, including: 1. A board of directors made up of: 1/3rd London public officials; 1/3rd energy company employees elected democratically by the whole energy company workforce; 1/3rd ordinary London residents, elected democratically with all London residents and all non-London customers given a vote. Board membership must guarantee at least 50% representation of women. 2. Annual open assemblies in every London borough, where representatives of the company have to answer questions and take input and advice. 3. The creation of an online democratic forum where people can discuss and influence the company’s operations, including through public petitions. 4. An obligation for the board to discuss public petitions, if backed by 1% or more of London’s population. 5. An obligation for an online referendum on a proposal, if backed by 5% of London’s population. 6. 100% transparency in all operations. 7. These democratic measures apply to all London residents, regardless of citizenship/nationality status.

Anti women and anti renewable energy

1 The government have not looked at greener energy alternatives. 2 There is nuclear waste that can damage the environment. 3 its too costly at £25,000,000 for the 6,000000 people it will provide electricty for which will also cost more. 4 We could be controlled by China through their computer systems. 5 The Chinese would gain more power in Europe

This planning proposal was voted out by Fylde Planning Dept. earlier in October by a very narrow vote. The Councillors voting against the proposal do not see the value of green, pollution free energy, which we, in the western world, need desperately. The Councillors voted narrowly against this proposal in the face of overwhelming public support, and I consider this very undemocratic. They did not seem to listen to the arguments that the land would get double value by producing energy and still be able to be used for grazing as it has for the last 30 years, This seems to be nimbyism, short sighted and not willing to encompass new technology.

The commitment to purchase electricity from a future Hinckley C is eye-wateringly expensive. By contrast, the cost now for continuing our support for renewable energy is a tiny fraction of that amount. Britain's national interest is being sacrificed on the altar of Chinese-invested-and-profited but UK-taxpayer-funded nuclear power. We should take the opportunity to invest in renewable energy now, while borrowing costs are low.

Already 1,000 have lost their jobs in solar energy sector. The sudden cuts in solar subsidy meant two leading renewable energy companies went bust within hours of each other. We need to act now, otherwise this will be the end. Around 20,000 people are still at risk of losing their livelihood - that’s ten times as many of the jobs lost at Redcar steel factory. 20,000 people losing their jobs could be lights out for solar power in the UK. Doug Parr, Greenpeace’s chief UK scientist told the Independent : “This should be a wake-up call for David Cameron, who faces international embarrassment ahead of crucial climate talks.” The government is saying: “All job losses are regrettable and we sympathise with those affected.” But that’s not enough. The government needs to save these vital jobs, not sign off on their death certificate. The cut to solar energy was not even in the Conservative manifesto. This U-turn on energy means hundreds of schools, families and community groups who backed rooftop solar energy could end up as the biggest losers. Every signature could increase the pressure on the government to act now and save thousands of solar jobs. Please sign the petition.

This is important for the fact that the local council has ridden roughshod over our wishes and concerns of the local residents. It may be a run down area in some peoples eyes but we pay our taxes the same as everyone else. We should not be subjected to this because of the greed of the local council. If they want it bad enough, let them build the plant on their doorstep.