The closing submissions for the planning inquiry into Dart Energy's coalbed methane project at Airth have been published and for sheer entertainment value it's going to be hard to better m'learned friends' summary of the evidence submitted by our old friends Professor David Smythe and Dr Marian Lloyd-Smith
The Professor is retired and has been since 1998. He agreed he has been out of mainstream geology since 1998, because as he put it he had no longer has “slaves” to do “donkey work” for him. When the question was put directly again he answered with a simple “yes” that he has been out of the mainstream for fifteen years. Since his retiral he has lived in the South of France running a little business (in fact a B&B).
Professor Smythe was unable (in cross examination) to give the example of fugitive emissions anywhere in the world!
In other passages of the cross examination it was apparent that the Professor has no real experience of drilling, despite criticising the techniques employed...
The best that Professor Smythe could offer was that he had on one occasion stood on a drilling platform in Murmansk
...it is very difficult indeed to understand why an experienced professional like Dr Lloyd-Smith continues to suggest that salt, citric acid, or other chemicals listed by her are hazardous and a threat to health. They are not and I submit that suggestion or allegation should not be made by a professional person acting reasonably and responsibly. In addition Dr Lloyd Smith and others refer to chemicals which the evidence confirms will not be used.
But it's not just these two reprobates. Whereever you look in the document, nearly 100 pages of it, there's fun to be had:
...the evidence of [Friends of the Earth witness, legal academic] Professor Hilston seems to amount to a warning that if a decision taker makes an error the decision may be challenged in Court. This is beyond dispute and is known by all involved in the planning system in Scotland. I can only repeat it seem a long way to come from Reading to inform the Inquiry about something so basic and obvious.
neither of the two Friends of the Earth witnesses argued for refusal [!!!]
I hesitate to suggest to readers that they read a whole submission to a planning inquiry, but if ever you are going to do it, this may be the occasion.