Friends of the Earth Scotland have an, ahem, interesting approach to informing the public about unconventional oil and gas.
Take this briefing note on coalbed methane (CBM):
CBM waste water is extremely salty and has been found to contain not only harmful chemicals from the drilling fluids used, but also highly toxic BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) chemicals including known carcinogens, and naturally-occurring radioactive materials...
Air pollution has been demonstrated in a 2012 study, where 44 hazardous air pollutants were detected at gas drilling sites...Air toxics can cause cancer and other serious, irreversible health effects, such as neurological problems and birth defects...
Drilling muds, which are produced in large quantities due to well numbers, include toxic drilling additives, salt compounds, heavy metals, NORMs and hydrocarbons. They are often disposed of in landfill and more recently, in land-spraying on agricultural or rural lands.
Would any of this hold up in a court of law? Well, we have recently got the chance to test this questio, with Dart Energy's plans to expand their CBM operations near Stirling having culminated in a planning appeal after the local council failed to issue a decision on the case. As part of the hearing, Friends of the Earth have made a submission of evidence which can be seen here.
Their case against the planning application can be summarised by reference to their headings, with my paraphrasing of the argument:
I think readers will be able to see that when there is a chance they might be asked to substantiate what they are saying about coalbed methane, Friends of the Earth adopt a very different approach to the one they use when they are campaigning and leafleting.
Their claims of health risks from CBM seem to be completely fabricated.