Protestors scale a shale gas rig at Banks, near Southport, England bringing a halt to work at the Cuadrilla Resources site Wednesday Nov. 2 , 2011. Cuadrilla Resources, which is drilling for gas in northwestern England, said Wednesday that independent experts concluded that the tremors were due to an unusual combination of geology and operations, and were unlikely to happen again. The company said local geology would limit any future seismic events to around magnitude 3 on the Richter scale. The tremor on April 1 measured 2.3 on the Richter scale. Local campaigners have mounted a "Frack Off" campaign to oppose the drilling technique that cracks open rock layers to free natural gas. (AP Photo/Peter Byrne/PA)
LONDON — Britain’s government has given the go-ahead to resume fracking — the controversial practice of drilling for gas trapped in shale — in the U.K..
Shale gas exploration had been suspended in Britain last year after a series of small tremors near an exploration site in Lancashire in northwest England.
Edward Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, said Thursday that shale gas exploration promises a new potential energy resource for Britain that could reduce its reliance on imported gas.
Davey added that new controls will be put in place to reduce the risk of seismic activity. However, environmental activists oppose the move, fearing the landscape will be scarred.
