Fracking Conference

There are calls for the Scottish Government to impose an outright ban on all types of fracking.

A summit against Unconventional Gas Extraction is taking place in Glasgow today.

Last week, we revealed that drilling for gas could still go ahead under the Forth, despite a moratorium on the practice being in place.

It's because the UK Government and Crown Estate currently have control over the seabed.

Companies who support the practice say it offers an alternative to conventional coal mining and will reduce emissions from coal-fired power stations.

Conference organiser Gillian Wales said: "Now that the moratorium is in place, the Summit provides an excellent opportunity to highlight exactly what we expect from our public consultation. It is vital that this process is conducted in an open, inclusive and fair manner with input from community groups, environmental organisations and specialists. We must also look to learn lessons from communities outside the UK that have experienced the scale of full production and are living with the negative outcomes."

John Finnie MSP said: "Whilst the Scottish Government's announcement of a moratorium on fracking is welcome it doesn't go far enough. I'm sure it hasn't escaped the conference delegates notice that it's not just the environmental lobby who welcomed the moratorium but also the fracking corporations, like INEOS. This conference shows we are vigilant and will continue working hard for the only sensible outcome for our communities, our country and the planet and that is an outright ban."

Maria Montinaro of Concerned Communities of Falkirk said: "The UK Government is selling off Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences across the whole 20,000 km2 area of the Central Belt. The Industry's economic argument does not hold up to scrutiny. The evidence based approach proposed must include proper cost-benefit analyses, including opportunity costs and the potential impacts on other industries and businesses. If given the 'green light', Scotland's heartland would become a gas field.  Even the UK Government's promise of cheaper gas prices is refuted by Cuadrilla chairman Lord Browne. The future, once the gas fields are established, are of blighted local communities and economies - far too high a price to pay for the questionable short term gains of another fossil fuel industry."