{"id":1300,"date":"2016-03-17T10:59:23","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T10:59:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/?p=1300"},"modified":"2016-04-18T10:03:39","modified_gmt":"2016-04-18T10:03:39","slug":"should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Fracking Decisions be made locally?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Shale gas exploration in the UK has been in the headlines, but little activity has taken place so far. Whether unconventional gas should be part of the UK energy mix is not only the question of economic viability but also of public support. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/profiles\/8157\">Jim Watson<\/a>, Professor of Energy Policy at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/spru\/\" target=\"_blank\">SPRU<\/a> and Director of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ukerc.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">UKERC<\/a>, argues in <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally-55536\" target=\"_blank\">his latest blog for The Conversation<\/a> <!--more-->that when it comes to debates about the UK\u2019s sustainable energy transition there is a lot more than technological choice and cost effectiveness at stake. The power of national government to constrain local level decision-making on resources and technologies is causing public concern about local democracy and there is an unease about the decision-making process. \u00a0Jim Watson emphasizes the need for a broader conversation about the UK\u2019s energy system and how it can reflect values such as fairness and sustainability.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2014\/12\/Jim-Watson.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-469\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2014\/12\/Jim-Watson.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"Jim Watson\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Jim Watson is Professor of Energy Policy at SPRU and Director of UKERC. He was previously Director of the Sussex Energy Group from 2008 to 2013.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">\nFollow Sussex Energy Group      <span class=\"synved-social-container synved-social-container-follow\"><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-follow synved-social-size-16 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Follow us on Facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Sussex-Energy-Group\/448345351971248?ref=hl\" style=\"font-size: 0px; width:16px;height:16px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px;\"><img alt=\"Facebook\" title=\"Follow us on Facebook\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-follow\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" style=\"display: inline; width:16px;height:16px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: none; box-shadow: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/32x32\/facebook.png?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-follow synved-social-size-16 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-twitter nolightbox\" data-provider=\"twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Follow us on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SussexNRGGroup\" style=\"font-size: 0px; width:16px;height:16px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;margin-right:5px;\"><img alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Follow us on Twitter\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-follow\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" style=\"display: inline; width:16px;height:16px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: none; box-shadow: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/32x32\/twitter.png?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-follow synved-social-size-16 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-linkedin nolightbox\" data-provider=\"linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Find us on Linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/sussex-energy-group\" style=\"font-size: 0px; width:16px;height:16px;margin:0;margin-bottom:5px;\"><img alt=\"linkedin\" title=\"Find us on Linkedin\" class=\"synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-follow\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" style=\"display: inline; width:16px;height:16px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: none; box-shadow: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-content\/plugins\/social-media-feather\/synved-social\/image\/social\/regular\/32x32\/linkedin.png?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shale gas exploration in the UK has been in the headlines, but little activity has taken place so far. Whether unconventional gas should be part of the UK energy mix is not only the question of economic viability but also<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[34914],"tags":[96133,86186,43416,96040,48212],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.6.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should Fracking Decisions be made locally? - Sussex Energy Group at SPRU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shale gas exploration in the UK has been in the headlines, but little activity has taken place so far. Whether unconventional gas should be part of the UK energy mix is not only the question of economic viability but also&hellip;Read more &#8250;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sussex Energy Group at SPRU\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-17T10:59:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-04-18T10:03:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2014\/12\/Jim-Watson-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Sussex Energy Group at SPRU\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2015\/06\/Energy_landscape_rgb-from-Charlotte-360width.jpg?fit=2232%2C360&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2015\/06\/Energy_landscape_rgb-from-Charlotte-360width.jpg?fit=2232%2C360&ssl=1\",\"width\":2232,\"height\":360,\"caption\":\"Sussex Energy Group at SPRU\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/\",\"name\":\"Sussex Energy Group at SPRU\",\"description\":\"Researching ways to achieve the transition to sustainable, low carbon energy systems\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2014\/12\/Jim-Watson-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2014\/12\/Jim-Watson-150x150.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/03\/17\/should-fracking-decisions-be-made-locally\/\",\"name\":\"Should Fracking Decisions be made locally? 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- Jim Watson writes for UKERC","date":"7 December 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In his new blog for UKERC, Jim Watson reacts to the energy policy implications of the UK Government Spending Review. One of the prominent themes of the review is the need for innovation in energy technologies and systems, which has also been highlighted in the long-awaited\u00a0energy policy speech\u00a0by Amber Rudd.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Posts&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1888,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2018\/12\/17\/a-new-study-will-explore-public-perceptions-of-fracking-just-as-exploration-resumes-in-lancashire\/","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":1},"title":"A new study will explore public perceptions of \u201cfracking\u201d just as exploration resumes in Lancashire","date":"17 December 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This article was originally published\u00a0in the December 2018 issue of Energy World magazine, published by the Energy Institute, energyinst.org There could not be more timely circumstances for the launch of a new interdisciplinary research programme into hydraulic fracturing (commonly termed \u2018fracking\u2019). After a seven year gap, Cuadrilla began high-volume hydraulic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Posts&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"fracking","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2018\/12\/fracking-lancashire.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1148,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2015\/12\/09\/whither-uk-energy-policy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":2},"title":"Whither energy policy: Is the government getting the worst of two worlds?","date":"9 December 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Gordon Mackerron, Claire Carter and Florian Kern\u00a0of\u00a0Sussex Energy Group, SPRU, University of Sussex What do the pre-Spending Review announcements from DECC -\u00a0 and the Review itself - mean for UK energy and climate change policy?\u00a0 The upfront statement that energy security is now prioritised while climate goals need to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Posts&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2015\/06\/cropped-Energy_landscape_rgb-from-Charlotte-360width.jpg?fit=1080%2C360&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1504,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/10\/10\/weighing-up-case-for-shale-gas-after-government-gives-green-light-fracking\/","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":3},"title":"Weighing up the case for shale gas after government gives green light to fracking","date":"10 October 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Prof. Benjamin K. Sovacool and Suzanne Fisher-Murray If they knew about it, what would the residents of Pawnee, Oklahoma in America have thought about Communities Secretary Sajid Javid\u2019s decision to approve plans for fracking at Cuadrilla's site at Little Plumpton in Lancashire, UK?\u00a0Due to the government's landmark decision, UK\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fossil fuels&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"image of a shale rig and gas well","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2016\/10\/shale-gas-rigoptimised250.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1861,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2018\/10\/26\/fracking-democracy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":4},"title":"Fracking democracy, criminalising dissent","date":"26 October 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog was originally published on The Ecologist. 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Three anti-fracking protesters -\u00a0Simon Blevins, Richard Roberts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fossil fuels&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/files\/2018\/10\/frack_free_four_appeal_2018_-2284.jpg?fit=1000%2C613&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":772,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2015\/06\/09\/prof-jim-watsons-ukerc-blog-would-a-global-apollo-programme-deliver-the-low-carbon-innovation-we-need\/","url_meta":{"origin":1300,"position":5},"title":"Prof Jim Watson's UKERC blog: Would a Global Apollo Programme deliver the low carbon innovation we need?","date":"9 June 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction to Jim Watson\u2019s blog by Dr Ralitsa Hiteva The Global Apollo Programme to Combat Climate Change report \u00a0which came out last week warns: \u201cWe are in danger\u201d; \u201cThe perils of our current course\u201d; \u201cThe dangerous shortfall in RD&D\u201d. The report argues that the challenge we face as a society\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fossil fuels&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1300"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1363,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions\/1363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}