Orkney Greens say no to fracking

A zero tolerance of fracking and increased support for the renewables sector have come out as high priorities for members of the recently-formed Orkney Greens, the local group of the Scottish Green Party.

A survey of Orkney members has also identified sustainable farming, fishing and public transport, action on fuel poverty and local commitment to reduction of climate change as high priorities. The group says its members are also committed to the protection of Orkney’s natural environment and to more transparent decision making by public bodies.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth and it was the clear “winner” in the survey, with members still concerned after a Scottish Government report last July identified Orkney as a possible site for shale gas exploration.

Steve Sankey, a spokesman for the Orkney Greens, said: “Orcadians over a certain age still have the uranium mining scare of the 1970s at the back of their minds, and, in theory, Orkney is included in the potential licensing areas for shale gas exploration.

“Hopefully the Smith Commission recommendations will come to fruition, and Scotland will get to decide whether or not it wishes to exploit shale gas in our country. Leading world scientists are now saying ‘keep it in the ground’ or we won’t make our international commitments to climate change.”