Free!

Val, Beverley resident and her husband Jon, former Director of Education for Humberside freed after being held for about 10 hours for taking a stand and peacefully protesting against fracking.

Protectors Day 3- Hull Daily Mail, profiles on Look North, and Voice of Russia (?!)

Also, Protector's profiled on Look North

and, somewhat bizarrely, Voice of Russia, jumbled into a story about Burnley:

Letter to East Riding of Yorkshire Council / Beverley Guardian from Beverley Friends of the Earth

I wrote to the Council in April, sharing concerns about the drilling process which has begun in the area, and the Beverley Guardian published a copy. No reply has been received, yet the matter has become more serious.

The Environment Agency has given permission to the Canadian owned company, Rathlin Energy, for another bout of exploration at two local sites: one between Bishop Burton and Walkington (Crawberry Hill), and West Newton, near Sproatley.

In their EA Permit Application Rathlin explains they are testing for possible high volume fracking in future. Rathlin has stated that it has no plans to frack, but always qualify this as no immediate plans to frack, or no plans to frack these wells, or not by them. When pressed they refuse to rule out fracking in future, and admit that if the conventional reserves aren't viable, but the shale is, there could be fracking.

Despite claiming to be interested only in conventional reserves Rathlin actually drilled far deeper, right down to the Bowland shale formation. They will have taken samples of shale rock when they drilled the wells, and tested the samples in the lab. We can assume the tests were promising as they are due to return to site to conduct a minifrac test on the shale rock in the next few days

Gas can only be extracted from shale by fracking.

The Application describes a 'mini fall off test', aka a mini-frac, which Rathlin describes as injecting liquid in to shale rock "pressured up to the point where the rock would begin to fracture". 

This test is therefore in breach of the Council's Crawberry Hill Planning Condition 15 - no fracking.

Rathlin admit they plan to inject liquid at pressure into the shale rock. However, they claim it is not fracking simply because they are not injecting sand to hold the fractures open.

My most recent letter to the Council calls their attention to two things

• Rathlin is about to conduct a drilling process which will be a direct contravention of the planning restrictions placed on its work by the Council. To argue that the “mini fall-off test” is not fracking is pure sophistry, and the Planning Committee should be aware of that.

• The successors to Rathlin, should their findings be ‘positive’, will be setting up well-heads every few hundred yards apart across the whole County. Is ERYC making the community at large aware of this, with the damaging impact on the rural heritage in their charge, or is the Council able to give cast iron assurances that such developments will never take place?

I await a reply from the Council, and hope they can reassure the community on these matters

Yours sincerely,

W J Rigby

coordinator Beverley Friends of the Earth

Look North headline story - anti fracking campaigners set up camp

Crawberry Hill Protectors - Day 2

Kirsty from West Hull is camping at the site and said, 'The reasons I am here are many, the most important of which is the protection of my family and the wider community.  Fracking, if not halted, will effect every one of us.  Water is the key to life and the practice of fracking is proven to pollute and poison not only water, but also the air and land.  We need look no further than the US to confirm the devastating impact of this practice.  Profits are being placed before people at every turn.

Please help to halt this practice- your future and your families depend on you taking action NOW.  Come to camp!"

eastyorkshireprotectors.wordpress.com

Protectors Camp established!

Day 1

Peaceful Protectors Arrive at Crawberry Hill well site

With test fracking imminent at the 2 well sites in East Yorkshire, Protectors have set up camp at both sites.

Tents were being pitched, a kitchen area assembled and people arriving until late into last night.

People from the local area, including the neighbouring village of Walkington, nearby Beverley and Hull were helping out on site and offering support.

The atmosphere was peaceful and friendly, and the protectors are welcoming people to visit at any time, to find out more about what Rathlin's plans, or just to say hello.  Location here.

eastyorkshireprotectors.wordpress.com

EA Permits granted - testing for fracking to commence

The Environment Agency has now granted the Mining Waste Permits for Rathlin to conduct testing at their two wells in East Yorkshire, including a minifrac on the Bowland Shale (mini fall off test).

West Newton Permit and Decision Document
Crawberry Hill Permit and Decision Document

In breach of Planning

The Permit describes a 'mini fall off test', aka a mini-frac, which involves injecting liquid in to shale rock "pressured up to the point where the rock would begin to fracture".

This test is therefore in breach of Crawberry Hill Planning Condition 15- no fracking.

Rathlin admit they plan to inject liquid at pressure into the shale rock.  However, they claim it is not fracking because they are not injecting sand to hold the fractures open.

Testing for fracking

Rathlin are clearly testing for possible fracking in future, and even state this in the EA Permit Application (see highlighted extract below).

Yet Rathlin have repeatedly and categorically stated they are not planning to frack.

But all they mean by this is no immediate plans to frack, or no plans to frack these wells, or not by them.

Despite claiming to only be interested in conventional reserves they drilled way deeper, right down to the Bowland shale formation.  They will have taken samples of shale rock when they drilled the wells, and tested the samples in the lab.  We can assume the tests were promising as they plan to return to site to conduct a minifrac test on the shale rock in May 2014.

Gas can only be extracted from shale by fracking.

Rathlin have stated that they plan to abandon the bottom section of the well after the mini fall off test and that these wells are not capable of fracking.  They are suitable for conventional extraction.

They admit that if the conventional reserves are not commercially viable, but the shale gas is, then they would consider exploiting it.

High volume fracking would require new planning permission.

Extract from EA Permit Applicaiton

4.3.2.1 Mini Fall-Off Test within Upper Visean/Lower Namurian

A mini fall-off test is a short duration formation test designed to gather reservoir engineering data (characteristics and properties of the reservoir rock formation). The test is carried out to establish the pressure at which injection of fluid occurs into the formation and analyses how the pressure permeates through the formation over a given period of time (usually 14 days). For clarity, the intention of the mini fall-off test is not to fracture the formation but to establish if and at what pressure the formation becomes permeable. The information gathered during the mini fall-off test will help determine whether the formation is capable of being hydraulically fractured. Hydraulic fracturing is not being considered as part of the application which this plan supports.

from: EA Permit Application,  03 EPRA - Crawberry Hill - Non Technical Summary, p12

Rathlin's Description

9. Does Rathlin accept that the mini fall-off test is also known in the industry as a “mini frac”?

This test is referred to by a number of different names/acronyms. Rathlin is simply testing the formation integrity. ‘Frac’ or ‘mini-frac’ are terms that appear to be used interchangeably by some organisations without clear definition. This is Rathlin’s description of the mini fall off test: The well will be pressured up to the point where the rock would begin to fracture and then will be shut in to monitor the pressure fall off. No hydrocarbons or other formation fluids be will recovered during this test. Once the test has been completed the zone will be plugged and abandoned.

from Rathlin's Official Statement