The government ignores the drawbacks to shale gas, while its erratic policies around solar frustrate budding entrepreneurs
The government’s consultation on the rights of fracking companies to drill under your home was published the day after the local and European elections, hours after the polls closed. Perhaps that was a wise move given that public support for fracking seems to be falling. It hardly needs former Conservative energy secretary Lord Howell to warn that fracking "could prove extremely dangerous politically". The careful timing on the latest announcement shows he may not be the only one who thinks so.
The British Geological Survey has said there could be 4.4bn barrels of oil in the shale rocks of southern England. As a result, the announcement proposes a 12-week consultation on a law that would bypass the law of trespass when it comes to work carried out 300 metres or more below ground, and payments to affected communities of £20,000 for each well drilled.