More than 60 people gathered in Totland Church Hall last Tuesday night for a public meeting to learn more about the prospect of oil and gas drilling on the island – or ‘fracking’ as it is known.
A presentation covered what has happened so far in the licensing process, the actions of the national government in support of the industry, the Island’s geology, and details on the differences between conventional and unconventional drilling. It also described potential risks and benefits, including threats to human health, the local environment, the global climate, and how economic benefits may or may not reach Island residents.
This meeting came after an announcement by UK Oil & Gas Investments PLC (UKOG) at the end of January that “we are well advanced in our plans” to drill on the Island, firstly at Arreton. The company has been awarded licenses for conventional and unconventional drilling in a 200 square kilometer area of the island.
The event was hosted by Frack Free Isle of Wight, a group of individuals from all walks of life, committed to raising awareness of the local, national and global issues surrounding fracking and other fossil fuel exploitation methods. The presentation was given by Sylvia May of Freshwater, a retired headteacher, who said to the crowd:
“When I was in your shoes, in a meeting just like this last year, I began to panic. I panicked for weeks. I knew I had to learn more.”
The presentation was followed by a lively discussion, which welcomed a number of different viewpoints. Juliet Ketteridge of Totland said:
“We have to think of our young people. The legacy of this is nightmarish. I don’t know if I can go home and sleep tonight.
“With the council given just 16 weeks to get their heads round this, it’s unfair when they are in crisis. They are only human. We’re a vulnerable island, plump for plucking.”
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Ketteridge was referring to a limit recently imposed by Westminster, designed to speed up the approval process for oil and gas projects.
Other audience members alluded to the undue influence of national government on local decision making, a concern that was raised by the council in a motion passed Jan 20 that described: “the Government has a clear policy in favour of fracking and should therefore be unable to take such planning decisions as there is a clear issue of predetermination by the Secretary of State”.
On Wednesday, Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends’ Society hosted Frack Free Isle of Wight as part of their ongoing ‘Café Botanique’ lecture series. The talk, titled “Frack Free for an Ecozoic Isle of Wight?” featured an abbreviated version of the public meeting presentation and a lecture from Morgan Curtis, of Freshwater, on her experiences as a climate activist in the US, UK and in Paris as a youth delegate at the historic UN Climate Conference in December.
Two more Frack Free Isle of Wight public meetings are upcoming. The first will be at Yarmouth Community Hall on 3rd March from 18:30-20:30. The second will be at Arreton Community Centre on 6th March between 14:00-16:00. All are welcome.
