Dear Madam, - Fermanagh should be a fracking-free zone. Thanks to its ongoing informative coverage of this vital topic, readers of The Impartial Reporter are being constantly made aware of the fact and fiction surrounding this proposed vile rape of the countryside. We are by now familiar with the fracking method of extracting otherwise unavailable natural gas by the pumping of compressed water, sand and chemicals into fissures or cracks in shale rock.

The Australian company Tamboran, through its local offshoot Tamboran Resources (UK) Limited, was granted a licence by Arlene Foster’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to explore the extent of any gas deposits outside Belcoo.

Will the company be fracking? ‘No’, they say, no fracking will take place for now; but this quest is simply the thin end of the wedge. It is the first step in ‘mission creep’: if they find supplies of natural gas in commercially viable quantities, the next step will be some fracking, for which there should be no backing whatsoever in Fermanagh, or anywhere else in the UK.

In a recent statement, Arlene Foster said, “I have always taken the approach that we should at least find out what is down there…” That was a naïve statement for an MLA and Government Minister to have made, in the light of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s vote on 7 December 2011 for a moratorium, or postponement, on fracking or related activity, pending an environmental assessment. We have not been told as yet the results of any ‘environmental assessment’ such as that voted for by the Stormont Assembly; so we must learn lessons from prudent enquiries elsewhere in the world. The award-winning film ‘Gasland’ exposed the ill-effects suffered by many US residents living near gas wells, the destruction of landscapes and instances of water, soil and air pollution. It features flames coming out of taps on land that was ‘fracked’. Many of the harmful effects are caused by the toxic make-up of the ‘frack fluid’ that can then contaminate groundwater.

In June 2011, the French Parliament voted to ban fracking, and it will continue to ban it until there is proof that there will be no harm to the environment or “massacre” of the landscape. In November 2011, the Luxembourg parliament voted against a motion to extract underground shale gas. In January 2012, Bulgarian MPs voted against fracking. The Romanian Environment Minister, in May 2012, proposed a moratorium for up to two years until clear rules were established. Germany does not permit fracking. The Czech Republic has imposed a ban until legislation states otherwise. Argentina, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland all urge caution until the adverse effects are properly evaluated.

The Tamboran statement says that “in the longer term, if the industry develops, this has the potential to increase tourism and benefit the hospitality sector.” What absolute nonsense! The scenic beauty of Fermanagh must not be put at risk. Yours faithfully, Neil C. Oliver, Castle Toppy 114 Crawfordsburn Road Newtownards