Liz Truss government lifts fracking ban to award 100 new oil and gas licenses

Liz Truss' government has officially lifted the ban on fracking for shale gas despite a lack of safety data, saying it was a "top priority" to increase energy supply.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said that all energy sources were to be explored, insisting that a "greater degree of risk and disruption we believe is in the national interest".

The move is part of a campaign to award 100 new fossil fuel drilling licenses, the business department said on Thursday - although it admitted there was still a need to "gather better data" on the fracking safety.

A moratorium was imposed on fracking in 2019 after the industry regulator said it was not possible to predict the magnitude of earthquakes. earth that it could trigger.

A review of acceptable levels of seismic activity found there was only a 'limited understanding' of the risks - but the government said ending to the ban and allowing more drilling would allow more data to be collected.

Despite concerns about earthquakes, Rees-Mogg suggested that higher levels of seismic activity would be allowed on drilling sites - claiming that the current limit of 0.5 on the Richter scale was "too low".

"The seismic limits should be reviewed to see a proportionate level. 0.5 on the Richter scale, which is only noticeable with sophisticated machinery, it is completely normal that fracturing does not take place - this level is too low,” he said. told the BBC Newsnight.

In a written statement, Mr Rees-Mogg said that "tolerating a higher degree of risk and disruption seems to us to be in the national interest".

Speaking in the Commons, the Business Secretary dismissed criticism from Labour. , Lib Dem and some Tory MPs - attacking 'hysteria' over earthquake risk and saying their concerns amounted to 'pure Luddity'.

Mark Menzies, Tory MP for Fylde in Lancashire told Mr Rees-Mogg there had “nothing Luddite” about his constituents’ concerns. He said Ms Truss had been 'crystal clear' that fracking would require local consent.

The Tory MP - visibly angry - said the government should explain how local consent would be whether Ms Truss should remain "a woman of her word, a woman we can believe in".

Mark Fletcher, Tory MP for Bolsover, also shared her frustration. don't seem to be washing up. It looks like local communities are being bought off rather than having a vote," he said - challenging the minister to say whether residents will get a vote.

Mr. Rees-Mogg did not respond directly, saying only companies will be responsible for "developing packages that make shale gas extraction attractive to local communities".

Questioned by Paul Maynard, Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, for clari Defying the question, Mr Rees-Mogg said it would be up to companies to 'find out how they can get that local consent, and it seems pretty clear to me that that's going to involve giving people money to incentivize them'.

Speaking to reporters in New York, Ms Truss defended breaking a Conservative manifesto pledge by lifting a ban on fracking, saying the energy crisis is "problem number one we face."

The Prime Minister insisted she would not authorize "anything that involves risk", but the government has yet to produce evidence to show that the hydraulic extraction of shale gas is safe.

The 2019 Tory manifesto pledged not to lift England's moratorium pledge unless it is scientifically proven that the fracking is safe amid earthquake concerns.

The PM told reporters accompanying her at a UN summit in New York: Have enough supplies household energy… Fracking is part of the energy mix. »

Mr. Rees-Mogg said energy security was "a top priority" for the government. "To get there, we will need to explore all avenues open to us... so it is only fair that we have lifted the pause to realize all potential sources of domestic gas."

However, senior government adviser Lord...