Council leaders are under pressure to do more to stop a fracking operation planned near the Yorkshire coast.
Members of North Yorkshire Council repeatedly urged its leadership to lobby the government over the “proppant squeeze” method of hydraulic fracturing, which is not included in the current national ban on fracking.
Europa Oil and Gas has asked the authority whether it would need an Environmental Impact Assessment for a proposal to explore for gas at Burniston, near Scarborough.
The firm wants to build a drilling rig on agricultural land near the North York Moors National Park.
Operations at the site, off the A165 Coastal Road, would last for an estimated 37 weeks.
In 2016, the authority’s predecessor, North Yorkshire County Council, sparked an outcry by approving a proposal to frack at Kirby Misperton.
Last year the council rejected calls to label fracking as “inappropriate”, despite the council having declared a climate emergency and pushing forward plans to reduce carbon.
The authority’s top legal officer said such a move could leave councillors open to accusations of pre-determining potential fracking planning applications, which in turn could undermine the council’s ability to decide on schemes.
‘Beggared belief’
Ahead of a full meeting of the authority, anti-fracking campaigner Caroline Haywood was on the steps of County Hall in Northallerton protesting and telling councillors that the Burniston proposal “beggared belief” and that the authority should insist on a full assessment of its impact.
As elected members questioned the the Conservative-led authority’s leaders during the meeting Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Bryn Griffiths, said Europa Oil and Gas was “exploiting a loophole” which could see the fracking process being undertaken in North Yorkshire.
Scarborough councillor Tony Randerson, of the Social Justice Party, pressed the authority’s climate change executive member, Cllr Greg White, over whether he agreed the Europa plan was “fracking by the door” and “fly in the face of the North Yorkshire climate change strategy”.
He also asked whether the council’s executive would back cross-party calls to write to the Government and urge that the loophole be closed.
Another elected member for Scarborough, Councillor Rich Maw, then pressed Cllr White again over the issue, asking him whether he recognised proppant squeeze as a loophole.
He said: “Can you agree that to release large amounts of methane gas into the skies of Burniston, North Yorkshire, in the pursuit of profit, sits at odds with the climate change delivery pathway?”
Coun White said it would be “inappropriate” for him to comment on live planning applications, before adding that the authority, City of York Council and the North York Moors National Park had “not relied on a central Government ban”.
He added: “As a council while we have always remained neutral as regards shale gas extraction, our hard fought minerals and waste plan does include very strong provisions designed to protect local businesses and communities if permission to mine were ever to be sought.”