Herald Scotland: Tax Power Demand Sparks Fresh Fears over Fracking
John Swinney has been accused of preparing to give fracking the green light north of the Border as he wants taxes from the controversial gas process devolved to Holyrood.
The Deputy First Minister called for changes to the Scotland Bill, now going through Westminster, that would hand Holyrood powers to impose charges on drilling companies.
He told MSPs the move was "purely for policy completeness" but faced claims he was paving the way for the Scottish Government to cash in from fracking, also known as unconventional gas extraction.
The Scottish Government ordered an indefinite moratorium on fracking in January, amid growing public concern at the environmental impact of the process in which water and chemicals are pumped underground at high pressure to fracture the rocks and release gas.
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