Bloomberg: U.K. Lawmakers Seek to Ban Fracking Unless ‘Loopholes’ Closed

U.K. opposition lawmakers are seeking to ban oil and gas fracking unless “loopholes” on safety are closed. A Labour Party amendment to the Infrastructure Bill working its way through Parliament will mean barring hydraulic fracking unless 13 gaps in regulation are filled, it said in a statement.

“Labour will force a vote on Monday to prevent shale gas developments in the U.K. unless these loopholes are closed,” Tom Greatrex, a party energy spokesman, said in the statement.

The Conservative-led government has promoted fracking by Cuadrilla Resources Ltd., IGas Energy Plc (IGAS) and other companies by cutting taxes and relaxing planning rules to try to lower reliance on imported gas. The Infrastructure Bill would allow fracking companies to drill deep under people’s land without permission. Labour is running neck-and-neck with the Conservatives in polls before a general election in May.
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