Pennine Community Power’s wind turbine in Blackshaw Head has hit the 100,000kWh generation milestone. That’s enough electricity to power more than 25 homes for a year.
The community benefit society, Pennine Community Power, installed the turbine four years ago, with a grant from Village SOS, part of the Big Lottery Fund, and investment by 66 local residents in the upper valley. Continue reading
Preston New Road Action Group say they are devastated that Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities, has upheld the appeals in favour of Cuadrilla, and overruled local democracy.
Undeterred, the Group say they will fight on. There is a protest tomorrow, 8th October, at Maple Farm forecourt – Preston New Road, Lancashire (between Blackpool & Preston – alongside World of Water). People are going from Calder Valley. Continue reading
The day after Hebden Bridge fossil fuel cleaners were out in St George’s Square collecting signatures for a petition to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuels, the Waltham Forest Council Pension Fund Committee committed to divest their £735 million pension fund from all fossil fuels, becoming the first in the UK to make this full commitment.
If this London borough Council can do it, so can Calderdale Council and the other West Yorkshire Councils. Continue reading
Fossil Free West Yorkshire were out in St George’s Square Hebden Bridge on Saturday 17 September. Armed with dusters and mops to clean up the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, they were collecting signatures for the petition to divest the Pension Fund from fossil fuel companies.
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This is the fracking motion that the 2016 Trades Council Conference passed unanimously on 4th June.
Fracking motion
The government’s drive to establish a fracking industry was stepped up when it handed out new licenses for onshore gas and oil exploration in 159 blocks of 100 square kilometres each. Continue reading
Just reading Saskia Sassen’s “Expulsions – Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy”.
Her point is that, using highly complex forms of knowledge and technology, predatory global capitalism now systematically operates to drive out people, species and the whole living world from the spaces that sustain life and make it possible. Continue reading
Update:
One of the last decisions of the 2010-2015 Parliament, the Coalition government swiftly passed the Infrastructure Planning (Radioactive Waste Geological Disposal Facilities) Order 2015 with no debate in the House of Commons. This Order extends the Planning Act 2008 to cover nuclear waste disposal.
Over 300 MPs failed to vote. Among those were 246 Labour MPs, 57 Conservatives and 18 Liberal Democrats. The parliamentary record does not show whether they abstained or did not turn up.
241 Conservatives voted in favour – including Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker, along with 30 Lib Dems, 1 Labour (Barry Sheerman, Huddersfield), 3 DUP and 1 UKIP.
The original post starts here
Parliament is considering rapid legislation that would remove the right of County Councils to object to burying radioactive waste underground, potentially at levels where water circulates.
Updated 18 Jan Braving the snow, several members of the public turned out for the “Bin the Infrastructure Bill” demo this morning in St George’s Square, Hebden Bridge. The demo was organised by anti-fracking activist Helen Chuntso.
Demonstrators – including me – were calling on Craig Whittaker MP to vote for vital amendments to the Infrastructure Bill, that Green MP Caroline Lucas and LibDem MP Norman Baker are putting forward. (More info below about the amendments.) Continue reading
Some Calder Valley constituents – who are worried about proposed new fracking legislation in the Infrastructure Bill which MPs are to vote on in the House of Commons this week – have asked Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker to tell the government to release the full version of the Defra report on Shale Gas Rural Economy Impacts.
The version that has been published (PDF) has over 60 redactions, and Green MP Caroline Lucas has accused ConDem ministers of having “something to hide” over fracking. Continue reading
In January 2014 the Coalition government announced its Community Energy Strategy. At the same time Calderdale Council’s Cabinet voted to accept proposals for the Council to set up a community benefit society, Calderdale Community Energy, in partnership with local third sector organisations like Hebden Bridge Alternative Technology Centre and Pennine Community Power.
The aim is to support the development of community renewable energy projects in Calderdale.
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