Public views sought on village gas drilling permit

A public consultation has opened on whether a proposed gas drilling rig in North Yorkshire should be granted an environmental permit.

Plans for a 125ft (38m) rig in Burniston, submitted by Europa Oil & Gas, would see a proppant squeeze method used to extract the gas.

Campaigners against the rig have likened the technique to "small-scale fracking", but it is allowed under current legislation.

Despite North Yorkshire Council formally rejecting planning permission in May, the Environment Agency said it was minded to grant the environmental permit to the applicant.

Planning permission and environmental permits are separate legal processes with distinct responsibilities and legal tests handled by different regulatory bodies.

Ian Foster, Environment Agency area manager for Yorkshire, said: "We recognise there is significant public interest in this application, particularly following the local planning authority's decision to refuse planning permission.

"Our responsibility is to independently assess whether the application meets the requirements of environmental legislation and whether the proposed activities can be carried out without unacceptable risks to people or the environment."

He continued: "Our assessment is evidence based and we have published the reasons for our draft decision.

"We encourage anyone with an interest in the application to read the consultation documents and provide their views before we make our final decision."

The consultation is due to run until 23 September.

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