By ALEX RUSSELL and PETER STRACHAN
The UK government, under Labour, Conservative and Coalition control, has over the past 40 years relentlessly pursued a fiscal policy of maximising short-term revenue take from the oil and gas reserves lying below the UK continental shelf in the North Sea – most of which lies in Scottish territorial waters.
Westminster has made it clear it is hell bent on fracking apart the shale deposits that lie across the length and breadth of England in the first instance, but no doubt also over all other parts of the UK in due course.
Basically, the Chancellor believes fracking will generate substantial fiscal income, generate thousands of new jobs and will be of less damage to the environment than importing gas from Russia.
The UK’s shale reserves of gas and oil is like money in the bank. It will not deteriorate through time.
It is not the same as ceasing production in the North Sea for 10 years, say, then expecting to be able to resume viable production again. Fracking wells are small scale affairs usually drilled from rigs attached to the backs of lorries
Is this a case of Westminster promoting fracking jobs in England at the expense of North Sea jobs in Scotland?
Read full POLICY PLATFORM article on Scottish Energy News at: – http://goo.gl/2J12VG
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