Wednesday 21 January 2015

Fracked up on the job figures say Earth lovers

A new report claims the amount of jobs that will be created if fracking is explored in the UK is over exaggerated.

The report called ‘Making a better job of it’ by Friends of the Earth, said the job boom will be short lived.

According to a report published by the Institute of Directors (IoD) around 1,700 jobs in Lancashire will be created from shale gas production. But the green group said this will only be for one year. They claim the figure would drop to just under 200 jobs in three years.

'Getting Shale Gas Working’, was published by the Institute of Directors (IoD) on Wednesday and has been funded by Cuadrilla, the Staffordshire based energy firm, which has three shale gas drilling sites in the UK.

But Friends of the Earth say the investment in energy efficiency and the renewable energy sector will create more jobs than investing in fossil fuels.

The organisations North West Campaigner Helen Rimmer said: “Lancashire County Council should reject Cuadrilla’s fracking plans and support energy solutions which will create more jobs without risking the county’s environment, local economy and communities.”