Recommendations
How much shale gas is there?
13. We
recommend the UK Government and Welsh Government work with commercial
companies and others to provide a reliable range of estimates
of shale gas available in Wales. This should be published by the
end of 2014. (Paragraph 17)
Shale Gas versus renewables
14. We
recommend both the UK Government and the Welsh Government assess
the overall impact of shale gas supply on the level and mix of
energy produced in Wales and the UK. This should include an examination
of how the combination of nuclear, hydro-power, coal, wave and
solar, alongside efforts to reduce overall energy demand, impacts
upon carbon emission targets. (Paragraph 34)
Economic impacts
15. We
encourage the Welsh Government to begin considering now how the
employment opportunities presented by shale gas production could
be maximised. This should include a detailed examination of the
skills required by the industry and the extent that Wales already
has people with those skills. (Paragraph 43)
16. In
its response to this Report, we ask the Government to provide
further information about how local communities in Wales will
benefit, financially or otherwise, from shale gas operations in
their area. (Paragraph 54)
17. We
call on the UK Government to outline in its response an analysis
of the Welsh water resources required to service the unconventional
gas industry in other parts of the UK. (Paragraph 63)
Environmental impacts
18. The
UK Government and the Welsh Government must ensure that the regulatory
and planning framework gives due weight to the traffic and noise
caused by commercial shale gas operations, in addition to the
visual impact and other environmental risks associated with fracking.
(Paragraph 64)
19. We
recommend that the UK Government, the Welsh Government and commercial
companies work together to assess the extent of facilities currently
available in Wales for the safe disposal of wastewater and to
identify improvements that will need to be made as the shale gas
industry develops. (Paragraph 75)
Regulatory and planning regime
20. We
recommend that the UK Government considers the case for minimising
ground-level shale gas operations in sensitive areas in Wales,
such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special
Scientific Interest, and National Parks. In its reply to this
report, the Government must set out how it would ensure that such
development did not compromise designated sites, in particular
those in environmentally sensitive areas. (Paragraph 83)
21. We
encourage the Welsh Government to develop a Technical Advice Note
for unconventional gas. (Paragraph 89)
22. We
recommend that the UK Government and the Welsh Government require
commercial companies to pay for an independent Environmental Impact
Assessment at the exploratory stage of any significant shale gas
development. (Paragraph 94)
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