The growing economic cost of fossil fuels

An very interesting and straightforward story from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the Telegraph earlier this month on the low returns on investment coming out of the traditional sources of energy:
Fossil industry is the subprime danger of this cycle - Telegraph
Futures Forum: Fracking: pros and cons considered again

This week's report on energy from the new economics foundation cites this and other stories:

News that last month was the world’s hottest June on record provided another reminder that urgent global action is needed to combat climate change. But in a backwards move this week Australia axed its carbon tax on political grounds, despite widespread criticism from analysts and the complete absence of a credible alternative strategy. Meanwhile, the EU missed the chance to show bold leadership on energy efficiency as it settled on a voluntary target of 30% by 2030 - well short of the 40% advocated by Germany. Europe’s Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard hailed the deal as good news for the climate and bad news for Mr Putin. But the Russian leader is unlikely to be quaking just yet: Europe's long-running failure to impose tougher sanctions stems largely from the continent’s heavy reliance on Russian gas imports. In the UK, there was better news. Months of internal wrangling ended with the government committing to the fourth carbon budget despite treasury efforts to weaken it. This budget legally binds the country to reduce emissions in 2023-2027 by 50% compared to 1990 levels. The Climate Change Committee however warned that the first budget was met only with a combination of policy intervention and a huge economic recession, and that stronger measures will be required to meet future budgets. The growing economic cost of fossil fuels was highlighted this week in an article by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Telegraph. While the industry pours money into maintaining production of high-cost resources like tar sands, deepwater and shale, the cost of renewables is plummeting – in Denmark wind will become the cheapest option for power by 2016. Many analysts expect companies to end up sitting on reserves of fossil fuels they have paid for but cannot sell - also known as stranded assets. The industry’s problem is that cheap conventional crude oil peaked in 2005. No wonder they’re so keen to frack in Britain – they’re hanging on for dear life. Three things you shouldn't miss this week Chart: The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for June 2014 was the highest on record for the month, at 0.72°C (1.30°F) above the 20th century average of 15.5°C (59.9°F). : Source: NOAA  Article: Fossil industry is the subprime danger of this cycle – The cumulative blitz on energy exploration and production over the past six years has been $5.4 trillion, yet little has come of it. Article: Wind Energy Cheapest Form of Power, According to Denmark - The Danish Energy Agency found that onshore wind plants coming online in 2016 will cost around $.05 per kilowatt hour.   Energy Transition EU agrees to improve energy efficiency 30% by 2030 - EU climate chief says energy-saving deal is not good news for Putin, but others hoping for 40% target are disappointed. Germany is most energy efficient major economy, study finds - Ranking places Mexico last and voices concern about the pace of efforts by the United States and Australia. Cities 'should generate green energy', says think tank - Local authorities and customers could reap the benefits of renewable energy subsidies, a report by IPPR suggested. Oil & Gas Oil Demand Rising Fastest Since 2010 for IEA on China - World oil consumption will increase next year by 1.4 million barrels a day, the agency said in its first monthly report to assess 2015… Oil and an independent Kurdistan - The map of the Middle East as we know it today is 90 years old. It is now being over written by events on the ground. Russian oil production expected to drop - An anticipated drop in oil production by 2016 is expected to hurt the Russian economy, the Russian Finance Ministry said Monday. U.K. Seeks Tax Advice From Oil Industry on North Sea Investments - The consultation, to be held over 12 weeks, will be aimed at maximizing the value of the U.K’s oil and gas… U.K. Shale Regulation Inadequate for Safety, Report Says - Shale gas exploration in the U.K. lacks adequate regulation to protect public health and the environment including water shortages, according to a report by scientists. West Sussex county council turns down shale gas exploration bid - Refusal of Celtique Energie thought to be the first time a council has rejected a planning application by a shale company. Europe braced for any gas crisis as Russia sanctions escalate - LNG terminals in Britain and the Continent currently operating at just 20pc of full capacity. Electricity The EU's nuclear links with Russia - There is a significant role in Europe's energy sector for Russian nuclear supplies and the potential for significant disruption in the EU. Germany, UK and Poland top ‘dirty 30’ list of EU coal-fired power stations - Report warns policymakers against allowing extensions to the lifetimes of coal plants... UK Grangemouth to clinch US shale deal with £230m Government backing - The Scottish based refinery wins loan under UK Guarantee Scheme which will ensure it can import cheap ethane from America. A detailed look at why the future of UK energy is so hard to predict - The Guardian reported National Grid forecasting energy prices will double by the end of the decade. Other media reported the grid operator found that UK shale gas could supply much of our future needs… What’s going on? Cabinet reshuffle: Chancellor's allies Matt Hancock and Amber Rudd join energy department - Matt Hancock replaces Michael Fallon as energy minister while Amber Rudd takes on Greg Barker's climate change brief. New Environment Agency chairman has fracking links - The government has been criticised for appointing a former business adviser to David Cameron who has had corporate links to fracking … Government cuts Green Deal cashback after just six weeks - The cashback available to households has been reduced from £7,600 to £5,600 following huge demand. Government accused of setting 'meaningless targets' on fuel poverty - Critics were quick to accuse the Coalition of “setting meaningless targets” and ignoring the plight of pensioners. Climate Australia votes to repeal carbon tax - Australia's Senate has voted to repeal the carbon tax, a levy on the biggest polluters passed by the previous Labor government. Climate Change Committee blames Government over slow rate of progress in reducing UK carbon emissions - The report pointed out that just 170,000 cavity walls were insulated in 2013, down from more than 600,000 in 2012. The elephant in the atmosphere - Managers at the biggest oil firms clash with investors over climate change Water Energy Nexus A World Without Water - FT investigation - Water is needed for almost every aspect of energy production, from digging up fossil fuels to refining. California Halts Injection of Fracking Waste, Warning it May Be Contaminating Aquifers - State’s drought has forced farmers to rely on groundwater… Related Reports and Commentary Meeting Carbon Budgets – 2014 Progress Report to Parliament – Committee on Climate Change City energy: A new powerhouse for Britain – IPPR 2014 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard - American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Shale gas and fracking: examining the evidence - Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Energy Technology Perspectives 2014 – International Energy Agency The Energy Crunch team: Simone Osborn, David Strahan, Griffin Carpenter, Stephen Devlin, Aniol Esteban, Tim Jenkins

Energy round-up: Global debate heats up | New Economics Foundation
Energy & Climate Change | New Economics Foundation

See also:

nef:
Futures Forum: "In fact, climate forecasts are actually outperforming many of the key economic forecasts cited by government departments and journalists."

Scandanavia:
Futures Forum: District heating systems run on waste... from Scandanavia
Futures Forum: Sweden, Denmark and Norway have been voted the happiest countries in the world...
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Small-scale, locally-controlled power generation

There have been several reports of late on the dominance of 'big energy' in the UK:
Critics fear competition probe risks letting grid firms off hook | Mail Online
Competition watchdog to investigate energy prices - FT.com
Small Talk: Slow progress on curbing the power of energy giants – but small businesses can do more to help themselves - SME - Business - The Independent

Meanwhile, the large-scale development of power generation excites a lot of opposition:
Futures Forum: The aesthetics of development: power plants and windfarms

The Sid Valley has had its own battles over a proposed development of a solar farm:
Futures Forum: Solar Plan for Sidmouth: second application fails

With the SidEnergy group having to make it clear that it is not a large-scale international developer:
Futures Forum: SidEnergy latest: share issue: energy switching: openhomes

Perhaps a way ahead is small-scale, locally-controlled power generation:
Futures Forum: Balcombe: making a community self-sufficient in electricity

With 'decentralisation' as a key idea:
Futures Forum: Solar, wind, fracking: "We seem simultaneously to be mismanaging the exploitation of three key decentralised energy sources."
www.greenpeace.org.uk/MultimediaFiles/Live/FullReport/7154.pdf

As opposed to allowing the large-scale international energy companies a rather free reign: 
Futures Forum: "Allowing fracking companies to drill on private land without first requiring a landowner’s permission."... or... "Neighborhood Environmentalism: Toward Democratic Energy"
Center for a Stateless Society » On “Consent of the Governed” and Other Frauds
Center for a Stateless Society » Climate Change and Corporate Welfare

The UK could look to Germany:


More support for Germany’s renewable energy sector as new law gets go-ahead

Thursday, July 24th, 2014 By Jemma Collins

A publication by ResPublica released today says the UK should learn from Germany in its energy framework and policy.

The essay explains how it is currently too difficult in the UK for small businesses to become energy suppliers and the current market is monopolised by the ‘big six’. This is compared to Germany who has 1,100 electricity suppliers and households can choose from about 72 energy suppliers – most of which are local.

The think tank says the UK government should set up a ‘Help to Supply’ scheme aimed to help new suppliers enter the energy market through the government simplifying requirements.

They say locally governed infrastructure could help reduce complaints to energy companies, create transparency and lower household bills.

Lord Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, said, “This essay shows very clearly how Germany has succeeded – where we have so far failed – in creating a bottom-up revolution in energy supply and distribution.

“Property-level renewable installation, community energy companies, small-scale local schemes: these have been the way forward for German electricity production, and it’s been a big success. We could learn some serious lessons here.”

More support for Germany’s renewable energy sector as new law gets go-ahead - Blue and Green Tomorrow

An alternative is the cooperative: 

Creating resilient communities – putting power in the hands of local people

Article by Barbara Hammond 24 July 2014

One solution to enhance the resilience of communities against challenges such as these is community energy. This involves neighbourhoods coming together to take control of the energy they use, either through community-owned clean energy generation, joining forces to make their homes more energy efficient or sharing energy-saving advice.

Our experience at the Low Carbon Hub, a social enterprise championing community energy in Oxfordshire, is that the benefits from a community resilience perspective are huge. Having already facilitated a wave of community benefit solar PV and hydro schemes, our ambition is for the whole of Oxfordshire to be powered by smart grids centred around small scale, community-controlled renewable energy schemes. This transformation of our energy system would bring not only environmental, but also social and economic benefits. The Oxfordshire Low Carbon Economy Report we are currently working on with Oxford University has identified some surprising data that shows how much this shift is to our economic advantage:

> As a county we spend £1.5bn on energy every year, all of which flows out of the local economy;
> But we also already make £1.2bn every year out of low carbon business sectors and these already support over 8,000 jobs, over twice the number of jobs supported by the BMW car plant at Cowley in Oxford, the largest local employer;
> A combination of business development and infrastructure investment could generate an extra £800m per year and an extra 10,000 jobs by 2030.

Creating resilient communities – putting power in the hands of local people
Renewable energy co-ops: the power to transform | Red Pepper
Schreuer-ea-2010-Literature-Review-energy-cooperatives.pdf
The ownership revolution that Britain needs — World Future Council
www.yourbritain.org.uk/uploads/editor/files/LEARNING_FROM_GERMANYS_ENERGIEWENDE.pdf
House of Commons - Energy and Climate Change: Written evidence submitted by Co-operatives UK

The P2P idea has been around for some time, though:
Center for a Stateless Society » New Tech as a Force Multiplier and Equalizer: Bootstrapping the Alternative Economy
P2P Foundation » Blog Archive » Proposal: A Cooperative Strategy for Distributed Renewable Energy (1)
Towards a Cooperative, Small scale, Local, P2P Production Future
All About Power – Part Two – Free Information, Freedom from the Grid, and Peer-to-Peer Bio-Innovation « how to save the world

A lot of these initiatives are linked to the issue of climate change:
How Companies Anonymously Influence Climate Policy | Oil Change InternationalOil Change International
By the Way, Your Home Is On Fire | The Nation
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The pressures to build on green fields: in the Southwest - "The lack of a local plan for meeting housing targets does not necessarily undermine the protection that our countryside merits."

There had been serious misgivings about allowing housing to be built in the valley popularised by Laurie Lee's writings:
Futures Forum: The pressures to build on green fields: in the Southwest - and across England

A particular application has just been turned down by a planning inspector:
Inspector blocks developer's bid to build Slad Valley homes | Planning Resource
Bitter sweet twist after Slad Valley is saved (From Stroud News and Journal)

As reported by the CPRE:

Slad Valley planning decision a fantastic victory for local countryside campaign

Friday, 25 July 2014 16:25

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CPRE and CPRE Gloucestershire are delighted that the planning inspector has upheld the Stroud District Council’s decision to reject a housing development in the Slad Valley.

After a determined campaign by local residents and CPRE Gloucestershire against Gladman Developments’ plans to build 112 homes on Baxter’s Fields, the planning inspector has agreed that the addition of housing “would not be so great a benefit as to outweigh the disruption to the landscape quality of the valley” and rejected two Gladman appeals.

The inspector also concurred that the fields formed part of the setting for the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) celebrated in Laurie Lee’s memoir Cider with Rosie, and was therefore valued landscape that the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) should protect.

As in many areas the lack of a local plan had left the land exposed under the NPPF’s presumption in favour of sustainable development. Yet the inspector’s decision establishes that land can be a valued landscape even without official designation, and that the lack of a local plan for meeting housing targets did not necessarily undermine the protection that our countryside merits.

Another planning decision near Stroud, meanwhile, has had a more disappointing outcome. A different inspector approved an appeal from Gladman in its application to build 150 houses on nearby Mankley Field between the villages of Leonard Stanley and King’s Stanley.

CPRE recognises that more houses must be built, but it is important that the right houses are built in the right places. CPRE’s new campaign #WasteOfSpace is encouraging the public to send in photos of brownfield sites for potential development – land which can be regenerated and ease the pressure on beautiful places like the Slad Valley.

Shaun Spiers, chief executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, comments:

“We are delighted with the planning inspector’s decision.

“It represents an important precedent. Where there is no local plan in place, developers can be quick to take advantage of the NPPF’s presumption in favour of development. Yet this case shows that the value of the landscape is a vitally important consideration, and one that can take precedence over other considerations such as perceived housing need.

“The decision is a victory both for the energetic and passionate local campaigners and for the countryside.”

Simon Arundel, chair of CPRE Gloucestershire, Stroud District, comments:

“In Laurie Lee’s centenary year this decision gives us further cause to celebrate. It is just reward for the very considerable commitment and professional campaign of the local community and CPRE against an unwise and unwanted development proposal.

“At the same time we must also reflect on the continuing threat to the Stroud Valleys in a different decision granting permission for housing on a greenfield site between Leonard Stanley and King’s Stanley. There will be no rest for CPRE while such threats continue to arise.”

Slad Valley planning decision a fantastic victory for local countryside campaign - Campaign to Protect Rural England
Another developer’s appeal refused in an AONB despite no Local Plan | East Devon Alliance

However, another inspector in another part of the country has come to a different conclusion:

Countryside protection policy set aside due to lack of housing supply

25 July 2014 , Be the First to Comment

Ninety-five homes have been allowed on greenfield agricultural land in the open countryside in Cheshire, an inspector deciding that the NPPF presumption in favour of sustainable development outweighed local plan policy in the context of a lack of a five year supply of housing land.

The inspector concluded that the council was unable to demonstrate a five-year supply and as a consequence local policy protecting the open countryside from housing development became out of date.

Reviewing the proposal against the three strands of sustainable development defined in the NPPF, the inspector found that the scheme fulfilled a social role by providing 30 per cent of units as affordable dwellings and would also support the viability of the community of the adjacent small town.  An economic benefit was derived from construction jobs and support for local businesses, generated from a site which was readily available and could be built and occupied within five years. In terms of environmental sustainability, the inspector noted that the houses would be within walking distance of the town centre services and that a hedgerow management plan had been offered by the  appellant. Although these environmental benefits were somewhat eroded by the harm to the verdant rural character of the area in overall terms the scheme was a sustainable one.

Inspector: Frances Mahoney; Inquiry

Countryside protection policy set aside due to lack of housing supply | Planning Resource

But the CPRE campaign continues:
Green belt hoped to be saved by Surrey charter - Get Surrey

As does the CoVoP campaign in Cheshire:

Futures Forum: Parliamentary inquiry into the National Planning Policy Framework: findings suggest that "some local planning authorities may be forced into perverse behaviour to meeting the NPPF policies and government targets."

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District Council: vote on restricting public speaking......... further reports

The chair of the East Devon Alliance met with the District Councillor whose motion on restricting public speaking was considered last week:

EDA CHAIRMAN LEAVES COUNCILLOR RAY BLOXHAM FLOUNDERING TO DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE ON RADIO DEVON THIS MORNING

23rd July 2014

EDA’s Chairman Paul Arnott went head-to-head with EDDC Councillor Ray Bloxham – the originator of the idea to curtail public speaking (and who took 27 minutes to explain it at the meeting where it was first discussed) and, let’s just say that this was not Councillor Bloxham’s finest day … here is the link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p022jt50

Use the slider bar to go to the section 1:08:34 minutes from the beginning of the show.

Oh dear, Councillor Bloxham – wasn’t your finest day was it!

EDA Chairman leaves Councillor Ray Bloxham floundering to defend the indefensible on Radio Devon this morning | East Devon Alliance

Nevertheless, the decision was made to restrict public speaking at planning meetings:
Futures Forum: District Council: vote on restricting public speaking......... the decision

Here is a further report from today's Express & Echo:

East Devon public speaking restrictions are “stifling democracy” says councillor

By Exeter Express and Echo | Posted: July 28, 2014
Comments (1)

A STRING of restrictions on public speaking rights at meetings to discuss planning applications in East Devon have been described as “stifling democracy” by a leading district and county councillor.

At the full meeting of East Devon District Council earlier this month, councillors voted through a series of alterations to public speaking rules at Development Management Committee meetings as a way of improving the system.

The vote followed the decision in April by Development Management Committee members who backed stricter public speaking rights at its meetings.

A working party had previously been set up following concerns at how long some meetings were taking, with some lasting several hours, and the impact this could have on decision making and the public.

The Committee minutes were due to be approved by full council in May, but after challenges at the April full council meeting by the independent group led by Cllr Claire Wright the matter was discussed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee first.

The now-passed recommendations include the pre-registration of all public speakers before the publication of the agenda.

In addition, only those who have previously submitted a comment as part of the consultation are allowed to subsequently register to speak.

Those permitted to speak on minor applications will be limited to four – two in favour and two against, with an additional slot for the applicant or agent.

And on major applications, the limitation will be five in favour and five against, with an additional slot for the applicant.

This was criticised at the time by Councillor Roger Giles who said everyone should be able to register to speak regardless of whether they had previously commented or not.

Cllr Wright previously described the alterations as “too restrictive and prescriptive”.

“This is an example of democracy being stifled,” she said, adding that her concerns were also felt by a number of cross-party councillors. “In the absence of a Local Plan and with the lack of five year land supply, there are going to be more major planning applications going before the committee which people will understandably want to speak on. It’s going to hugely limit people’s ability to get involved in planning meetings and their ability to address committee members directly.”

Cllr Wright claimed many councillors believed the hold-up during meetings was not down to the public anyway, rather due to drawn-out discussion among members which is not moved towards a vote.

At the full council meeting on July 23, Cllr Wright requested that the decision be deferred until the Local Plan had been finalised however this was voted down.

In April, the district council’s Draft Local Plan 2006-26 was deemed “unsound” with “serious evidential failings” by a Government planning inspector.

He confirmed what the council already knew – that it must demonstrate a five year land supply but can only demonstrate just over four years.

Members of the council’s planning policy team set about producing an action plan showing the extra work it intends to do and the timing of each stage.

The council expects to update the inspector in the autumn.

Cllr Wright added: “Myself and Cllr Giles have tried to amend the proposals several times but they’ve been voted down, so to get the decision deferred until after the finalisation of the Local Plan was a last ditch attempt.”

East Devon public speaking restrictions are “stifling democracy” says councillor | Exeter Express and Echo
Public speaking (or rather public gagging) continued … | East Devon Alliance
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Parliamentary inquiry into the National Planning Policy Framework: findings suggest that "some local planning authorities may be forced into perverse behaviour to meeting the NPPF policies and government targets."

The Community Voice on Planning (CoVoP) is making its case very clear:
Futures Forum: CoVoP: Community Voice on Planning
Futures Forum: Fragoff of Community Voice on Planning: discussing housing and greenbelt on the Sunday Politics Show

The CoVoP has given evidence to Parliament on planning issues and policy:

Futures Forum: Parliamentary review on the NPPF: deadline Weds 8th May

Futures Forum: Parliamentary committee to inquire into the National Planning Policy Framework: "forcing councils to approve ad-hoc planning applications"

Parliamentary Enquiry

The Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework is now taking oral evidence. The inquiry follows research findings, published by the Committee, that some local planning authorities may be forced into perverse behaviour to meeting the NPPF policies and government targets. Written submissions can be seen at Communities and Local Government Inquiry Submissions. See more details on our Parliament Select Committee Inquiry page.

Community Voice on Planning | A National Alliance to provide communities with an effective voice on planning, enabling them to protect their greenfield and green spaces.

More from the East Devon Alliance website:

COVOP MEMBERS WILL ATTEND DISCUSSION FORUM AS PART OF PARLIAMENTARY ENQUIRY INTO NPPF

27th July 2014

An update from the secretary of Community Voice on Planning (CoVoP), has been received by EDA:

‘Dear All

Four things to update you on at the moment:

ONE: Many people have been invited to participate in a discussion forum on 1st September as part of the Parliamentary enquiry into the NPPF. There must be at least 50 people going and most are members of groups associated with CoVoP. We all have local issues to discuss but the following list of topics from
our discussion with Greg Mulholland and his colleagues does suggest a common thread which we could all use.

TWO: As a result of our discussions with MP’s and other interested groups, we believe that the following are the main areas where change to the planning system would be helpful now or early in the life of the new government:

1. The calculation methods used for determination of housing needs are based on long term economic forecasts of dubious accuracy but Local Plans must be based on them; they should be based on historic trends and include a range of figures (minimum based on pure historic trends and maximum based on projected economic growth).

2. The calculation of the five-year housing land supply should be based on the minimum figure of housing need and should include all permissions not just those which developers chose not to land-bank. The five year land supply target does encourage house building but the current calculation methodology has the appearance of allowing inappropriate land-grabbing by developers. The inclusion of permissions in the calculation would ensure that sufficient land was allocated but would then encourage building on those sites. Allocation of land for housing is essentially a one-way process; once included in a development plan, there is no going back – only under-provision can be corrected later, by making further allocations if the projection turned out to be too low. If there was over-provision, either because the projection was too high, or because land came forward more quickly than expected, no corrective action is possible.

3. An increased emphasis to be put on affordable housing. Evidence shows that many developers prefer to build executive homes and that they actively attempt to reduce the number of affordable homes included in developments. The main need is for affordable homes for individuals and young families and for older
people to downsize to. The policy should encourage councils to prioritise affordable homes and bungalows for elderly people who want to downsize but still want a garden for themselves and their grandchildren.

4. The role of planning inspectors should be reviewed to ensure independence and to reduce their quasi-judicial status.

5. The constitution of planning committees and role of LPA planning officers should be clarified (should be supporting the planning authority and the electorate not promoting developers).

6. The elimination of “costs” in planning appeals – if developers chose to field numerous barristers, they should pay for them win or lose.

7. Prioritisation of brownfield developments over green spaces.

8. Importance of infrastructure planning and funding early in the life of developments.

9. The need to allow time for local plans to be agreed (perhaps a moratorium on new applications for anything other than brownfield sites until plans are in place).

THREE: Please take the opportunity to look at our website and see the advertisement on the front page from Cheshire East (click on the title for a pdf). 

Also see our link to the oral evidence session to the NPPF Review committee on July 9th. David Gladman (planning-broker and Partner, Gladman Developments) was giving evidence. By his own evidence, he has interests in 200 planning applications in 70 LPAs. He thinks that all decisions should be taken by planning officers as planning committees are old people who are set in their ways and who refuse to accept his assessments of housing needs. His evidence has its funny side. At the start of the session, the MPs had declared connections to local councillors (wives, fathers, party workers, etc). Mr Gladman did not appear to be aware that he was attacking people they value or indeed the values of democracy. He is very cross that Cheshire East refused his offers to let his team of planners work on the Local Plan and draw it up for them! It has to be said that, judging from the reaction of the MPs to Mr G.’s sparkling personality, he has probably done more for our cause then anybody else who gave evidence to the Committee. At least they might now understand why there are at least 70 LAs where a lot of people are not very happy with the NPPF!

FOUR: Finally we congratulate Mr Boles on his new appointment and welcome the new Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis. I’m sure that you know that he was already under-secretary of state within the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and held a wide range of responsibilities including local government, fire services, high streets, town centres, markets, travellers and pubs. We hope that he will take the opportunity of his new appointment to make the changes to the planning system outlined above.’

CoVoP members will attend discussion forum as part of Parliamentary enquiry into NPPF | East Devon Alliance.
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Fracking in National Parks and AONBs? ....................... "Questions remain about whether the American shale revolution can be replicated in the UK "

The new business and energy minister is looking to the United States as a model for how fracking will provide cheap home-grown energy:

Speaking on Today, he said: “You can also look at how much gas you get out per well in [the United States] per well – at the moment they are getting around 2 billion cubic feet per well, so if we managed to do that, to do our gas production that we use at the moment per day in the UK, we would probably need a thousand successful wells a year - and I think that’s years away and will probably never happen, that’s a big target.”

Fracking: Matthew Hancock fails to name a single village that supports it - Telegraph

The problem is that the US and European energy markets are entirely different:
Futures Forum: Fracking: the contradictory messages coming out of governments

And that all energy markets are in fact highly regulated:
Center for a Stateless Society » Fracking: Poster Child for the Corporate Welfare State

Whilst the debate over fracking has become highly charged politically:
Futures Forum: Fracking vs European dependence on imported Russian gas
Futures Forum: "Allowing fracking companies to drill on private land without first requiring a landowner’s permission."... or..."Neighborhood Environmentalism: Toward Democratic Energy"

Now, the government is sending out unclear signals on how it intends to allow the new licencing regime to go ahead:

From the Telegraph yesterday and today:
National parks to be 'protected' from fracking, Government says - Telegraph
Fracking: Matthew Hancock fails to name a single village that supports it - Telegraph

From Channel Four News today:
Fracking to protect beauty spots - or Tory marginals? - Channel 4 News

But the latest from the Daily Mail and Independent suggest otherwise:
'high political price' for fracking | Mail Online
Tories’ target seats will be opened up for fracking, says Greenpeace - Environment - The Independent

And from the BBC today:

Beauty spots still at fracking 'risk', say campaigners

28 July 2014 Last updated at 19:15

COMMENTS (1794)

Fracking licences can only be issued for beauty spots in "exceptional circumstances", according to new rules issued by the government.

It said the regulations for the new bidding round for licences - the first in six years - are stricter than before. And companies applying to frack near beauty spots will have additional obligations.

But some environmental campaigners say the new rules are not tough enough.

Right to refuse

Fracking involves blasting water, chemicals and sand at high pressure into shale rock formations to release the gas and oil held inside.

Planning permission may be granted in National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty if "it can be demonstrated they are in the public interest".

Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, will have the right to overturn planning decisions, if they don't satisfy the government's criteria.

But Greenpeace said: "In fact, so far as we can tell, the announcement actually makes it easier for developers to drill in national parks - by giving the communities secretary the automatic right to overrule local authorities who reject an application."

The National Trust gave the move a cautious welcome.

The BBC's David Shukman explains how fracking works: here

Richard Hebditch, assistant director of External Affairs for the National Trust said in a statement: "We welcome the new planning guidance which makes clear that applications should be refused in these areas other than in exceptional circumstances"

Forty percent of the National Trust's land is in National Parks and it owns large areas of land in other Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. "We hope it will reflect a much more cautious approach that recognises the risks of turning some of the most special places in the country over to industrial scale extraction of shale gas and oil," Mr Hebditch added.'Irresponsible'

Environmentalists argue that the process can cause contamination of the water supply and earth tremors. The industry rejects these criticisms, claiming that the process can be done safely.

Business and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock said it would be "irresponsible" not to explore the possibilities that shale offers. "Unlocking shale gas in Britain has the potential to provide us with greater energy security, jobs and growth," he said. We must act carefully, minimising risks, to explore how much of our large resource can be recovered to give the UK a new home-grown source of energy."

Energy Minister Matthew Hancock: "Some kind of recompense is very reasonable": here

"Of course there is local opposition in some places," Mr Hancock told the BBC. "But broadly there is also public support for the argument that we need energy security."

When challenged on the BBC to name a community that is in favour of fracking, he couldn't immediately identify one.

The BBC's chief political correspondent, Norman Smith, said the government has brushed aside suggestions that the announcement on national parks is designed to quell discontent in conservative MPs constituencies, especially in the south east of England.Environmental sensitivities

But campaigners also pointed to political motives.

"Sneaking out the 14th licensing round after MPs have gone off on their summer holidays shows just how politically toxic fracking has become," said Greenpeace UK energy campaigner Simon Clydesdale. "With MPs in Tory heartlands feeling the heat and all but seven cabinet ministers threatened by drilling in their constituencies, there could be a high political price to pay for this shale steamroller at next year's general election."

Drill down

Robert Gatliff, science director for energy at the British Geological Survey told the BBC it would still be some time before full scale drilling would start. "The first stage, you'd review all the data you've got. Then you'd want to drill one or two exploration holes and then take samples of the shale and see exactly what the content is and see which have got the most in and which bits are likely to fracture best to get the most oil out."

An agreement to proceed with drilling would still be subject to planning permission and permits from the Environment Agency.

He said that surveys suggest there is up to 2000 trillion cubic feet of gas embedded under the UK, although "there's no way we'd get all that out. If you look at what happens in the US, and that's where you've got to look because that's where they've drilled thousands of holes, they're not getting more than 5%," Mr Gatliff said. "In Britain we're so crowded and we've got these beautiful areas, that reduces the amount we can get out as well."

Tom Greatrex MP, Labour's Shadow Energy Minister, said: "With 80% of our heating coming from gas and declining North Sea reserves, shale and other unconventional gas may have the potential to form a part of our future energy mix." But he added: "There are legitimate environmental concerns that must be addressed before extraction is permitted. Robust regulation and comprehensive monitoring are vital to ensure the public acceptability test is met."

In the UK test drilling has taken place in Lancashire and in the West Sussex town of Balcombe where last summer more than 1,000 people protested at a site operated by energy company Cuadrilla.

The north of England is the area containing the largest shale reserves. The British Geological Survey has also pinpointed south east Scotland as containing significant resources.

Access rights

The government is keen to promote fracking in the UK, and has already announced a number of incentives to help kick-start the industry, including tax breaks, payments of £100,000 per site plus a 1% share of revenue to local communities.

It argues that shale gas could be an important bridge to help secure energy supplies until renewable energy capacity is increased.

Others argue that while it may be cleaner than coal, it is still a hydrocarbon that emits CO2 linked to global warming.

The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin said: "If environmentalists succeed in stopping fracking in the UK by stirring up local objections they will actually make the greenhouse effect worse in the short term. This is because Britain will continue to use gas for heating and as a backup to capricious wind and solar electricity. If the industry can't get British gas it will import liquefied gas - and the energy needed to turn gas liquid makes it worse for the climate than home-produced gas."

In the US, shale gas has caused energy costs to tumble, but questions remain about whether the American shale revolution can be replicated in the UK and elsewhere.

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BBC News - Beauty spots still at fracking 'risk', say campaigners

Thanks to:
Fracking to be allowed in AONBs, National Parks and World Heritage sites as long as it is done “sensitively”! | East Devon Alliance
The fracking map that shows the reality for Devon’s AONBs and its World Heritage site | East Devon Alliance
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'Nudging' under further scrutiny: the failures and successes of the Behavioural Insights Team

Following on from the posting
Futures Forum: The 'sharing economy', 'resilience' and 'nudging': Evgeny Morozov on "The rise of data and the death of politics"

... there has been more discussion on the key idea current in Anglo-Saxon governments:
Behavioral economics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neuroeconomics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Much of this stems from the catchy notion of 'nudge':
Nudge blog · Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Nudge (book) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Many would question its seeming contradictions:
Soft paternalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Thaler on Libertarian Paternalism | EconTalk | Library of Economics and Liberty

Although it goes back some way:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition: Robert B. Cialdini: 9780061241895: Amazon.com: Books
Aping Mankind: Neuromania, Darwinitis and the Misrepresentation of Humanity: Amazon.co.uk: Raymond Tallis: Books; Aping Mankind: Neuromania, Darwinitis and the Misrepresentation of Humanity by Raymond Tallis – review | Books | The Observer

The UK government has its own 'nudge unit':
Behavioural Insights Team - GOV.UK
BBC News - Government can alter public behaviour, top adviser says
BBC News - Exploiting neuroscience lessons to shape policy

This has recently been 'part privatised':
BBC News - Whitehall 'Nudge unit' to be part privatised
Anger at 'nudge unit privatisation' = Common purpose or Agenda 21. | UK Column

And today the Observer reported that the 'nudge unit' is under further scrutiny:

Lords challenge No 10 to prove value of public behaviour 'nudge' unit

Select committee calls for more evaluation from Behavioural Insights Team of its failures and successes

Jamie Doward The Observer, Saturday 26 July 2014 20.01 BST
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The Behavioural Insights Team has reputedly saved the government £300m by changing public behaviour, but questions remain about its value. Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images

It is one of David Cameron's pet projects and has reputedly saved the government more than £300m since its creation.

No 10's "Nudge Unit" – or the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), as it is officially known – is charged with finding new ways to change public behaviour. Inspired by the bestselling 2008 book Nudge, written by US academics Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, the team uses behavioural psychology to examine how people make choices and then suggests small changes that could improve their lives and save taxpayers' money.

The jargon it uses may sound like something from The Thick of It, but the team has been considered a success. Spun off earlier this year as a mutual joint venture co-owned by its employees, the Cabinet Office and the innovation charity Nesta, it has been credited with encouraging more than 100,000 people to carry organ donor cards.

But just how successful has the initiative really been? The House of Lordsscience and technology select committee has written to the Cabinet Office minister, Oliver Letwin, commending the unit's work and conceding the success of some of its interventions – notably on tax collection and organ donation – but expressing concern "that robust evaluation data is not always available in the public domain to substantiate such claims".

The committee's chairman, Tory peer Lord Selborne, questions in the letter whether the unit is being too selective in what it publishes. "We would emphasise the importance of publishing information on approaches which have not worked, as well as successes," Selborne says. He adds that the BIT "has not published an annual report since its 2011-12 update, and this did not contain sufficient data to enable independent assessment of the success of the BIT's work".

Selborne says his committee would like the team "to ensure that sufficient information is made available about successful and unsuccessful interventions to allow independent evaluation of methods and findings". He calls for "longitudinal evaluations of some interventions" because "the effectiveness of some approaches may diminish over time, and new approaches may be required to maintain desired outcomes".

The committee, which scrutinised BIT's performance in tackling obesity and people's reliance on cars – initiatives that Selborne would like to see evaluated further – also asks Letwin why certain "nudge" recommendations have gone unheeded.

"We were concerned to learn during the course of our follow-up inquiry that, although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence unequivocally recommended a minimum price per unit of alcohol in its 2010 guidance, no action has been taken to implement this … we believe ministers have a responsibility to explain why."

The criticisms will be studied closely in government. Ministers have insisted policy must be effective and evidence-based. The government is rolling out a network of What Works Centres that will track policies and their outcomes. Amid growing scrutiny of policy, some question whether the BIT's approach is too subtle. "You need more than just a nudge," Baroness Julia Neuberger said after the Lords select committee inquiry found little evidence to suggest the team was effective on a large scale.

Owain Service, managing director of BIT, said he was pleased the committee had commended its work. He said the team had highlighted both ineffective and successful interventions, adding of Selborne's request for more information on the organ donation and tax trials: "We are forwarding Lord Selborne the published documents on these subjects, which include academic articles and data tables of the results. In line with the committee's recommendations, we're also going to continue publishing our findings."

Lords challenge No 10 to prove value of public behaviour 'nudge' unit | Society | The Observer
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