Shale gas initiative receives more than 1,500 responses

UKOOG, the representative body for the onshore oil and gas industry has completed its first pilot of the ‘Let’s talk about shale’ initiative in Preston, Blackpool and Lytham St Annes, with over 1,500 responses submitted by the public.

The most asked question in the study was the neutral 'what is shale gas and fracking?', with some 20 percent of people who responded to the initiative asking for more information on the subject. The most prevalent topic for questions submitted related to understanding more about potential environmental impacts of shale gas exploration.

The ‘Let’s talk about shale’ programme was initiated by the onshore oil and gas industry in recognition of the fact that the general public is subjected to a stream of information from a range of sources, much of which is contradictory. Unlike previous initiatives, ‘Let’s talk about shale’ allows people to ask the questions they want the answers to.

The question-gathering phase of the pilot came to a close at the end of October, and the programme has spent the last few weeks collating the questions and gathering answers from third party experts and materials, including public agencies.

“With the first pilot over, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has been involved and who has engaged with us. Given the huge response to the initiative, we look forward to creating new opportunities for the public to ask their questions next year.”

Dr James Verdon, geophysicist at the University of Bristol, was one of the many academics who helped answer the public’s questions. Dr Verdon said: “I grew up right next to an active oilfield in the UK, which was so discreet that I had absolutely no idea the wells there until I went to university to study geology. But I am aware that unless people have the opportunity to talk about what shale gas development may mean for them, it is harder to have a full conversation about the benefits a new source of gas may bring to the communities across the country. This is why I have been so pleased to be involved in this initiative.”

Prof Sarah O’Hara of the University of Nottingham said: “I strongly believe that the public should have an opportunity to ask questions about shale gas and that they deserve to get unbiased and scientifically informed answers. One of the things that has impressed me about the Talk About Shale website is that the questions that people are asking are thoughtful and very pertinent and it provides a clear indication of the sort of issues that people are concerned about.” The initiative received overwhelmingly positive feedback from those who engaged with the Speaker Club. A participant from a community organisation in Blackpool said that it was “very useful to have the facts about the fracking process and the regulation.”