The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee are currently hearing from the usual suspects on the subject of unconventional oil and gas. No doubt they will hear that it will be an unmitigated disaster, is wanted by nobody and will never happen anyway. Meanwhile, Alex Salmond's exit as the leader of the SNP has brought a new leader who is apparently not quite so in thrall to the greens and within weeks of taking over the announcement of a task force to support the oil and gas industry.
It's all nicely poised. And with consummate timing, the Scotsman has organised a conference on the very subject of unconventional hydrocarbons. This move will no doubt infuriate the green fraternity, but it has to be said it's high time the industry started to try to make things happen.
Here are the details.
;)
The announcement by Ineos that it wants to exploit a huge area of shale gas reserves in central Scotland as part of its long-term business strategy has thrust fracking back to the centre of the political debate.
So what is the potential for fracking in Scotland? Can it revolutionise UK manufacturing as Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos claims? Can the public be convinced that the extraction of shale oil and gas from Scotland's Midland Valley and elsewhere can be carried out safely, with no adverse environmental impacts? How significant is the report by University of Glasgow academics that seismic impacts from fracking are far lower than feared and that rules governing its operation are much too restrictive?
The event will look at what is happening in the rest of the UK and ask what next for fracking in Scotland after the July 2014 report by the expert scientific panel on shale gas extraction established by the Scottish Government. The report said there was potential to develop an "unconventional hydrocarbon industry" in Scotland, but highlighted major challenges around planning, licensing, regulation and community consultation.
The event is sponsored by Pinsent Masons and a range of expert speakers will examine the deceptively simple question, "Is Scotland ready for fracking?"
Confirmed Speakers:
Gary Haywood, Chief Executive of Ineos Upstream
Dr Chris Masters, Chairman of the Scottish Government's Expert Scientific Panel on Unconventional Oil and Gas
Gordon Hughes, Professor of Energy Economics, University of Edinburgh
Dr Jennifer Roberts, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde
Dr Rob Westaway, Senior Research Fellow, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
Melissa Thompson, Legal Director, Pinsent Masons
Dr Stuart Paton, Exploration & Production Industry Advisor
Ken Cronin, Chief Executive, UKOOG
Peter Jones, Writer and Commentator (Chair)
Details here.
(The organisers have kindly offered me a ticket, so I guess this counts as a sponsored post of a kind.)