The Weston Mercury has reported that North Somerset Council plans for "Better public transport and frack-free zone on cards to reduce carbon emissions"
In November North Somerset Council updated its Climate Emergency Strategy and Strategic Plan and councilors resolved (COU 102):
(1) that the Climate Emergency Strategy and Action Plan be agreed as the basis by which the council will respond to the Climate Emergency motion from February 2019;
(2) that Council agrees that the Strategy and Action Plan are live, and that projects and initiatives identified in the Action Plan will be developed in line with governance procedures and formal decision making as per contract standing orders and the constitution; and
(3) that the Chief Executive be asked to write to Government asking for support in respect of the items in paragraph 3.21 of the report.
Para 3.21 of the Climate Emergency Strategy & Action Plan Report states: "Nonetheless, it is appropriate for the council to communicate directly with government to demonstrate its commitment to tackling the Climate Emergency and set out expectations of government to provide support. This will include:
• Government limiting our ability to demand the highest standards of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy from new buildings
• Changes to planning guidance to encourage the use of onshore windfarms and to discourage the exploration and development of fossil fuels (including fracking)
• Identifying the significant capital and systems funding to undertake a substantial retrofitting of existing buildings to decarbonise
•A substantial investment in public transport, active travel and Mobility As A Service to provide a genuine alternative to travelling by car
• Far greater coherence and coordination across strategy, policy and financial incentives to achieve carbon neutrality across homes, workplaces and transport"
Including, to "Pass a motion declaring North Somerset a Frack Free Zone to discourage the exploration and production of shale gas" (See Strategy and Action Plan in report above)
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For "An aspirational journey to discover what the future could look like if we simply embraced the best that exists today" see the movie 2040.
See previous Government Fracking Licence Moratorium blog
See also concerns over Government openness and transparency - "Government releases heavily redacted ‘secret report’ on fracking A total of 37 out of the 48 pages in the report are fully censored and others contain significant redactions" article by Energy Live News and Greenpeace website article dated 02 Dec 19.
For more information see BOB's Environmental page and BOB's Fracking page
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