Jekyll2018-09-28T08:51:18+01:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/A Voice For Leith HillNon-party political community group committed to raising awareness and protesting against the proposed oil exploration at Leith HillEnvironment Agency grant permit2018-07-23T23:13:03+01:002018-07-23T23:13:03+01:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/07/23/ea-permit<p><u><i>Press Release</i></u></p>
<h2 id="ea-permit-for-oil-drill-fails-environment-and-community">EA Permit for Oil Drill Fails Environment and Community</h2>
<p>Campaigners against oil drilling on Leith Hill have slammed the grant of an exploratory drill permit by the Environment Agency.</p>
<p>Over 103,000 people had signed a petition to the Environment Agency about concerns over drinking water pollution and two separate independent experts submitted detailed evidence about the risks.</p>
<p>But the Environment Agency has now approved the permit – subject to all other permissions being granted. Planning consent for the site in Coldharbour Lane runs out on August 7th and Europa Oil and Gas is in the process of applying for an extension. The Traffic Management Plan involving hundreds of HGV movements in the narrow and historic tree lined lane has been the main sticking point.</p>
<p>Julian Everett of community group, A Voice for Leith Hill: said: “It’s sadly symbolic that just before this year’s <a href="https://www.overshootday.org/">Earth Overshoot Day</a> - when humanity will have used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year – this permit has been granted by the government agency responsible for protecting our environment. The EA has decided to permit activities that will exacerbate climate change and jeopardise our drinking water supply in an area that is currently experiencing unprecedented levels of seismic activity.</p>
<p>“The EA claims activities will be closely monitored, yet despite several site visits they were unaware of an entire side-track being illegally drilled at Brockham - drilling that was conducted by the same company that now has the farm-out deal at Leith Hill. Instead, once again it is going to fall to the citizens of Surrey to do the job these publicly funded professionals should be doing: of protecting our environment and communal resources, and of upholding the will of local democracy”.</p>
<p>Europa Oil and Gas has spent ten years trying to get its permits for the exploratory 18 week drill but bitter opposition by the local community and local councils has meant that no drilling has started.</p>
<p>Notes to editors:</p>
<ol>
<li>A Voice for Leith Hill is a community action group joined together to protest peacefully and raise awareness about planned oil drilling on Leith Hill</li>
<li><a href="https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-leith-hill-in-surrey-from-the-risk-of-water-contamination-from-planned-oil-drilling-1">Petition can be found here</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-emissions-directive-ied-environmental-permits-issued">Environment Agency press release can be found here</a>.</li>
</ol>Voice for Leith HillPress ReleaseSurrey Earthquakes Update2018-07-08T21:01:03+01:002018-07-08T21:01:03+01:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/07/08/earthquakes<h2 id="surrey-earthquakes-update-and-what-you-can-do">Surrey Earthquakes: Update and What You Can Do</h2>
<p>On Thursday 5th July an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.1 hit Surrey, causing houses to shake, windows and doors to rattle and bottles to fall off shelves. The tremor was felt in Dorking, Charlwood, Reigate and as far away as Crawley. It was the seventh earthquake in just over 12 weeks, in an area that has not previously experienced earthquakes in 500 years.</p>
<p><img src="/img/pics/bgs-tremors.jpg" /></p>
<p>There are serious concerns that the earthquakes may be linked to oil drilling activities at Horse Hill and Brockham, as there are well established links between unconventional oil and gas drilling and earthquakes.</p>
<p>There are few details at present, though we are pleased to hear that The British Geological Survey are installing temporary monitors from next week to help the experts get more accurate locations should there be any more earthquakes.</p>
<p>A Voice for Leith Hill, along with Friends of the Earth and Green MEP Keith Taylor are calling for an independent investigation and a moratorium of drilling activities until the situation has been fully investigated. This most recent earthquake was bigger than the one in Lancashire which led to a moratorium on fracking in that area.</p>
<h2 id="what-can-i-do">What can I do?</h2>
<p>If you are concerned about this situation, there is a lot you can do:</p>
<ul>
<li>Contact your MP and ask them to call for a moratorium on moratorium on all drilling, re-injection, acidising, flow testing and related activities in the Weald until an investigation has taken place. In Mole Valley the MP is Sir Paul Beresford, Mole Valley Conservative Association, 212 Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead, KT21 2DB tel: 01306 883312 email: <a href="mailto:office@molevalleyconservatives.org.uk">office@molevalleyconservatives.org.uk</a>)</li>
<li>Contact your local district councillor and ask them to call for a moratorium on all drilling, re-injection, acidising, flow testing and related activities in the Weald until an investigation has taken place. You can <a href="https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=17184">find your local councillor here</a></li>
<li><a href="https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx">Contact your Surrey county councillor</a> and ask them to call for a moratorium on all drilling, re-injection, acidising, flow testing and related activities in the Weald until an investigation has taken place.</li>
<li>find out more about the campaigns opposing the oil drilling plans in the Weald.</li>
</ul>
<p>At Leith Hill there is <a href="https://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk">A Voice for Leith Hill</a>, <a href="https://www.surreycommunity.info/lhag">Leith Hill Action Group</a> and <a href="https://leithhillprotectioncamp.co.uk">Leith Hill Protection Camp</a>.
At Brockham there is is <a href="https://brockhamoilwatch.org">Brockham Oil Watch</a>.
Across the wider area there is the <a href="http://www.wealdactiongroup.org.uk">Weald Action Group</a> and <a href="http://frackfreesurrey.com">Frack Free Surrey</a>.
All of these have lots of information about the risks of unconventional oil drilling, fracking and ways in which you can help.</p>Voice for Leith HillSurrey Earthquakes: Update and What You Can DoCommunity fund-raiser single on sale now!!2018-06-04T23:11:23+01:002018-06-04T23:11:23+01:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/06/04/single-released<h2 id="leith-hill-community-blues-band-single---on-sale-now">Leith Hill Community Blues Band single - on sale now!!</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.leithhillblues.co.uk">Leith Hill Community Blues Band</a> has secured a music distribution deal, meaning its recently recorded single is now available via a wide range of digital outlets including iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Buy <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/gruffalo-blues-single/1390168983">“Gruffalo Blues (Save Leith Hill)” on iTunes</a><strong></strong></strong></li>
<li><strong>Buy <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gruffalo-Blues-Leith-Hill-Community/dp/B07DCZN6D8">“Gruffalo Blues (Save Leith Hill)”” on Amazon</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>The Dorking-based community band was formed to promote awareness of the oil drilling threat at Leith Hill, and to highlight the role of the Forestry Commission who leased the drill site to Europa Oil and Gas. A spokesperson for the band said: “Gruffalo Blues (Save Leith Hill) was recorded as a plea to the much-loved Gruffalo children’s character to end its long-running marketing partnership with the Forestry Commission. The site lease expires in August this year, and we hope the Gruffalo will join us in urging the Forestry Commission not to renew it. We are asking them to engage with the local community to explore other revenue options which do not utterly contradict its core mission statement to protect woodlands and forests. Our kids are all huge Gruffalo fans, and we have an obligation to defend their rights to continue enjoying safe drinking water and the wonderful natural environment around here.”</p>
<p>The single was written and recorded on a <a href="http://www.leithhillblues.co.uk/tree-guitar">hand-made lap guitar</a>, crafted out of a hollow tree trunk by a local dad for his kids. Various drop-in events were then held around Dorking during which the community chorus was recorded. The results were mastered at a leading recording studio in London.</p>
<p>The single is being released on Monday June 4th with an accompanying music video (see below). All funds raised will go towards the legal defence of the UKOG injunction case and other campaign initiatives.</p>
<p>For more information, see <a href="http://www.leithhillblues.co.uk/media-kit">the press media kit</a> or contact <a href="mailto:sing@voiceforleithhill.co.uk">sing@voiceforleithhill.co.uk</a>.</p>
<iframe width="736" height="414" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BvcXug5bP54" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Voice for Leith HillLeith Hill Community Blues Band single - on sale now!!Injunction defense crowdfunder launch2018-04-23T13:01:32+01:002018-04-23T13:01:32+01:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/04/23/injunction-crowdfunder<h2 id="crowdfunder-to-defend-against-ukog-injunction-goes-live">Crowdfunder to defend against UKOG injunction goes live</h2>
<p>Weald Action Group, and the six local campaigners who are challenging the UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) injunction, have launched <a href="https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/oppressive-oil-injunction">their crowdfunder</a> today to pay for their legal costs.</p>
<p>Ann, Sue, Natasha, Constance, Vicki and Jacqui have courageously stepped forward to fight this High Court injunction. This injunction could stop the right to peaceful protest and prevent local people raising awareness of the new risky methods of unconventional oil and gas drilling and the industrialisation of our beautiful countryside.</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/oppressive-oil-injunction">Can you please pledge to support them?</a></b> It doesn’t matter as to the amount. EVERY BIT HELPS!!!</p>
<p><img src="/img/pics/injunction-injustice-main.jpg" /></p>
<p>These type of injunctions are draconian in its chilling effect, and counter to the right to assembly and the right to freedom of expression. There is already criminal law to deal with any unlawful activities, and this injunction should have no part in defining what is legal and what is not. It is a blatant attack on our human rights.</p>
<p>If this injunction is granted it could also serve as a precedent for other oil and companies here and around the country. It should be fiercely resisted and we need to raise funds for our legal costs to fight this.</p>
<p>Please do share on your social media and/or forward this email to your friends. It helps SO much.</p>
<p>Here is the shareable Facebook post. Also click on this search for #injunctioninjustice on Twitter to retweet or create your own using the hashtag #injunctioninjustice and the crowdfunder link</p>
<p>We are all in this together and we can’t do any of this without your support. So <b><a href="https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/oppressive-oil-injunction">please donate now</a></b> and help to stop this injunction.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>DrillorDrop articles:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/03/06/ukog-seeks-injunction-to-ban-any-legal-protest-that-damagess-its-business/">6th March report</a> - UKOG seeks injunction to ban protests that aim to damage its business</li>
<li><a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/03/15/campaigners-to-challenge-oil-company-at-high-court-over-protest-injunction/">15th March report</a> - Campaigners to challenge oil company at High Court over protest injunction</li>
<li><a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/03/17/human-rights-campaigner-urges-oil-company-to-drop-high-court-bid-for-injunction/">17th March report</a> - Human rights campaigner urges oil company to drop High Court bid for injunction</li>
<li><a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/03/19/shires-of-england-rise-up-as-oil-company-ukog-seeks-high-court-injunction-against-protests/">19th March report</a> - “Shires of England rise up” as oil company UKOG seeks High Court injunction against protests</li>
<li><a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/03/19/court-adjourns-decision-on-wide-ranging-injunction-against-protests-at-ukog-oil-drilling-sites/">19th March report</a> - Court adjourns decision on “wide-ranging” injunction against protests at UKOG oil drilling sites</li>
<li><a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/04/05/oil-company-withdraws-key-clauses-in-protest-injunction/">5th April report</a> - Oil company withdraws key clauses in protest injunction</li>
</ul>Voice for Leith HillCrowdfunder to defend against UKOG injunction goes liveDavid Smythe EA report now submitted2018-04-03T22:22:35+01:002018-04-03T22:22:35+01:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/04/03/prof-smythe-report<h2 id="professor-david-smythes-report-about-the-leith-hill-drill-site">Professor David Smythe’s report about the Leith Hill drill site</h2>
<p>“I am led to the inescapable conclusion that the Applicant has a poor understanding of the geology, and of the technical problems that it is likely to encounter in drilling. In turn, its understanding of the hydrogeology is seriously defective. In consequence there is a serious and unacceptable risk that the drinking water aquifers in the district may be contaminated by the Applicant’s proposed activities, both in the short term and in the long term. The EA should refuse the present application.”</p>
<p>David Smythe’s report for AVFLH to the Environment Agency is a 57 page full technical analysis that will enable the EA reach an informed decision on Europa’s Permit application. <a href="/resources/Smythe-EA-Europa-Consultation-Submission-v1_3r.pdf">You can download it here.</a></p>
<p>Please also see <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/voiceforleithhill">our JustGiving crowdfunding page</a>. We now just need to find the final £200!!</p>Voice for Leith HillProfessor David Smythe’s report about the Leith Hill drill siteVideo of Prof David Smythe lecture2018-03-23T20:24:35+00:002018-03-23T20:24:35+00:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/03/23/prof-smythe-lecture<h2 id="professor-david-smythes-talk-about-the-leith-hill-drill-site">Professor David Smythe’s talk about the Leith Hill drill site</h2>
<p>David Smythe (Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, University of Glasgow) visited Dorking to object to the Environment Agency granting a permit to drill the exploratory borehole through a principal aquifer. His talk at the Friends Meeting House clearly explains the underlying dangers, what unconventional extraction is, and why it doesn’t add up. While the talk focusses on Leith Hill, Professor Smythe refers to examples from sites across England, drawing on his academic background and his professional experience of working both at the British Geological Survey, and as a former consultant to the conventional oil industry on drill site selection.</p>
<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxoBMzMUo_c" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Voice for Leith HillProfessor David Smythe’s talk about the Leith Hill drill siteEnvironment Agency Consultation Guidance2018-03-23T19:13:35+00:002018-03-23T19:13:35+00:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/03/23/ea-guidance<h2 id="environment-agency-consultation-guidance">Environment Agency Consultation Guidance</h2>
<p>The Environment Agency (EA) say they are “minded to grant” Europa’s application to drill at Leith Hill, including the use of a 15% acid solution. This would be a huge mistake. The intended drill site is above a principal aquifer which feeds into Pipp Brook, local springs and the water supply for homes in Leatherhead, Dorking and surrounding villages, and is in a highly faulted area, like much of the UK. If the well leaks, either immediately or in the future, the aquifer could be irreparably contaminated.</p>
<p>Please contact the EA to state using your own words one or more of the points below, and to demand that they act with proper caution and REJECT Europa’s application. Objections can be <a href="https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/rh6-6hn-europa-oil-and-gas-limited/consultation/intro/">submitted online here</a> until 29th March 2018.</p>
<p>David Smythe, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, University of Glasgow is submitting a technical objection on behalf of A Voice For Leith Hill. However the number of objections will also count so you are encouraged to make your own and add that you support Professor Smythe’s submission, if you do. See also <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/voiceforleithhill">our JustGiving crowdfunding page</a>.</p>
<ol>
<li>The failure to apply the precautionary principle in assessing this permit application is a gross failure of risk management. Risk management without the precautionary principle is essentially simple gambling. That might arguably be acceptable in certain scenarios where the downside impact is low and the potential reward is high. In this instance however, the exact converse is true. The downside impact is the long-term contamination of the aquifer that supplies 70,000 homes across Dorking and Leatherhead. The potential reward is alleged to be increased energy security for the UK, however this is an energy source that according to the Paris Climate Accord we already have five times more of than we can ever safely burn if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. What security is there in an energy source we can’t use? Surely any sane argument for energy security would be based on renewables which could serve us safely for many decades to come?</li>
<li>Europa’s financial position left them 12 months ago with ‘Cash at Bank’ of £1.4m and an accumulated deficit of £16.6m. Who ends up paying for the clean up if Europa Oil and Gas contaminates our water? What is the extent and terms of their public liability and professional indemnity insurance? If the company ceases trading are their insurance policies immediately invalidated?</li>
<li>Envireau Water’s work at Markwell’s Wood has already been comprehensively discredited by independent hydrologists, following which that site is now subject to an enforcement order that it be restored to its natural state. Why is their analysis at Leith Hill still being given credence, especially given the obvious conflict of interest created by them being paid by the drilling operator? Their risk assessment is based on an overly simplistic site model: e.g. it doesn’t deal with the connection between the Pipp Brook and the aquifer, the effect of near surface faults on groundwater flow or the effect of seasonal and annual water table level variations on groundwater flow. What are the risks in drilling through the heavily faulted geology that runs under watercourses which end up in our water resources? Contamination is known to travel up faults into an aquifer.</li>
<li>Industry studies show that five to seven per cent of all new oil and gas wells leak. As wells age, the percentage of leakers can increase to 30 or 50 per cent. The most susceptible remain “deviated” or horizontal wells like the one being proposed here. SES Water objected to the drill plans on the basis that “the proposed exploratory well will penetrate the lower greensand aquifer in relatively close proximity to our Dorking abstraction source. We are concerned that, in the event of a leak or a spill, the proposed mitigation measures will not guarantee the aquifer’s protection.” SES Water have no vested political or economic interests in this proposal. Why were the objections of their unbiased, independent experts not heeded?</li>
<li>Europa were granted conditional permission to conduct exploratory drilling by the planning inspectorate on the basis that the drilling operation would be conventional. As a result, the permit wording should preclude the use of all stimulation techniques, not just hydraulic stimulation. The use of acids to stimulate oil flow is not a conventional technique. Although 7.5% acid washes are used in conventional wells, use of higher concentrations of Hydrochoric acid at the high ambient temperatures of the target formation and at high pressure is not a bore washing technique, it is the unconventional technique known as acidisation and is akin to hydraulic fracturing. N.B. Any reservoir with a permeability of less than 0.1 mD is by scientific definition unconventional and so will require stimulation. The Kimmeridge Clay “limestone” formations have a permeability of between 0.005 and 0.03mD.</li>
<li>Europa are claiming that “all of the dilute acid solution will return to the surface once it has reacted”. However, at Broadford Bridge in West Sussex, operator UKOG (also the largest financial interest in Europa’s project) have <a href="https://drillordrop.com/2018/02/20/50m-wiped-off-ukog-on-news-of-possible-formation-damage-at-broadford-bridge-oil-well/">just had to announce serious problems with their oil retrieval</a> - the liquid they are retrieving contains a large quantity of acid which remained underground from historic acid washes. This casts serious doubt on claims that all of the solution will be retrieved here.</li>
<li>Hundreds of chemicals including a 15% hydrochloric acid solution will be used at the site. Why is a Groundwater Activity Permit is not required? The EA claim to have assessed the chemicals in the products that Europa want to use, and consider them not to present a risk that would make a Groundwater Activity Permit necessary. There is an inventory of hundreds of chemicals listed in the waste management plan. Is there peer reviewed evidence that each of these chemicals is safe to use in this type of drilling operation? If not the precautionary principle should be applied - our drinking water should not be put at risk.</li>
<li>What will happen to the highly saline produced water and backwash from this operation. This typically also includes reaction products of injection chemicals and the formation rocks, and substances released or leached out from the formation, including salts, heavy metals and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMS). What volumes are currently forecast? There are no licensed facilities for handling this type of waste in southern England. Where will it go? How can an ecologically rich Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty be considered appropriate for the safe management and transport of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs)?</li>
<li>Waste gas arising from testing will be flared using a shrouded flare. The assessment of the flare’s safety is based on a computer simulation which may be inaccurate because new research shows methane and ethane emissions associated with oil & gas extraction are higher than previously thought. This is particularly the case for the Bakken Shale in the US, which has been compared by the industry in the UK to the Weald. At UKOG’s site at Horse Hill near Horley, when flow testing was carried out, residents complained of headaches & respiratory problems. The assessment contains no information about the effect of the flare and fugitive gas emissions on human health. Given the reports from Horse Hill, and the information about fugitive emissions from the Bakken Shale and its similarity to the target formation, a more precautionary approach should be taken. The assessment makes no mention of the protest camp which is directly opposite the site and the effect on the health of the residents & visitors there. Special consideration is given to the effect Nitrogen Oxide emissions on a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest, where ‘there is a potential exceedance of the 24 hour critical level for NOx (Nitrogen Oxide)’ - why should the same consideration not be extended to the entire local area, which equally contains older native woodland (e.g. the row of old oak trees which starts near the entrance). The proposed drill site and surrounding area is a haven for protected fauna species such as hazel dormice, nightjar, cuckoo, tree sparrow and song thrush. </li>
<li>Constant monitoring of the efficiency of the flare is absolutely vital. If the flare efficiency falls below 95% then the flare will start to emit serious amounts of toxins, which will be transported on the prevailing wind towards Dorking. These include:
<ul>
<li>Sulphur dioxide (SO2): At room temperature, sulphur dioxide is a non-flammable, colourless gas with a very strong, pungent odour and is heavier than air. Inhalation is the major route of exposure to sulphur dioxide. Most exposures are due to air pollution, and this has both short-term and chronic health consequences for people with lung disease. Inhaled sulphur dioxide readily reacts with the moisture of mucous membranes to form sulphurous acid (H2SO3), which is a severe irritant. People with asthma can experience increased airway resistance with sulphur dioxide concentrations of less than 125micrograms/m3 when exercising.</li>
<li>Polyaromatic hydrocarbons: Polyaromatic hydrocarbons are by-products arising from incomplete combustion of organic matter that are frequently released into our environment. They are produced in flares. Many polyaromatic hydrocarbons are strong carcinogens and have been linked to increased incidences of various types of cancer in humans for which there is no known safe threshold concentration or exposure time.</li>
<li>Particulate matter (PM): Nano-sized soot particles are generated in the flare which are detrimental to public health. Further air dispersion calculations of particulate matter (PM) generation are necessary, and the results should be added to emissions predicted from generators and traffic.</li>
<li>Dioxins Can the operator please provide information on expected dioxin levels in the flare gas? Dioxins are formed when incinerating chlorine-containing organic substances. Dioxins are very toxic and known human carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. A study conducted in the Netherlands reports the presence of dioxins in flared landfill gas, biogas and chlorine containing industrial gas. (National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection & Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Report 770501018, Emissions of Dioxins in the Netherlands, February 1994). The dioxin levels of the flare gas should be monitored continuously, and contingency plans should be put in place should dioxins be detected in the flare gas.</li>
<li>Volatile organic and inorganic chemicals and synergy of emissions. Workers and residents near to the flare will be exposed to benzene, ethylbenzene, xylene, toluene, pyrene, benzanthracene, anthracene, NOx, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, radon, soot and many other combustion emissions. The risk of simultaneous exposure to such a cocktail of chemicals is completely unknown.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>Voice for Leith HillEnvironment Agency Consultation GuidancePetition nears 100,000 signatures2018-02-25T22:13:56+00:002018-02-25T22:13:56+00:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/02/25/petition-water-supply<h2>Petition against risk to water supply nears 100,000 signatures</h2>
<p>A petition aimed at demonstrating serious fears about the risk to local water supplies from oil drilling on Leith Hill is close to hundred thousand signatures. The petition, hosted by 38 Degrees, which is addressed to the Environment Agency (EA) titled ‘Don't risk water pollution from oil drilling on Leith Hill’ has been signed by over ninety-one thousand people, with more being added by the minute.</p>
<p>The organisers of the petition will be officially handing it in on Thursday 1 March at 6:30pm during a public consultation at the Dorking Halls, where residents have been invited to talk to EA representatives about how they will regulate the proposed oil and gas activities on Leith Hill in Surrey. The site is within an officially designated area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).</p>
<p>The local resident who started the petition said, “We are encouraged that so many people agree the water pollution risks from oil drilling using acid and other chemicals are unacceptable. We call on the Environment Agency to act on our concerns by rejecting this application. Short term oil extraction is increasingly being prioritised by our Government over the protection of our water resource. Water will ultimately be much more valuable and important to our Nation than oil. It's short term thinking at it's worst.</p>
<p>“Water is both a vital natural resource and a heritage, which must be protected, defended and treated as such. We would like to invite any local people who have concerns over the safety of our water due to the proposed acidisation drilling process, to join us in handing in this petition. We hope it makes a difference to the EA’s decision”</p>
<p>Concerns were initially sparked when Sutton and East Surrey Water (SESW) spoke out during the planning appeal process against Europa’s plans, stating that an accidental spill or leak could contaminate the aquifer used for public water supply. Lester Sonden, then director of SESW, said he was concerned about the potential for long-term contamination of water sources. He said “Our objection to drilling in this location is that it will increase the risk of polluting the aquifer that is used for public water supply. Besides the risk of contaminating our borehole sources at Dorking, there is also a risk that contamination could lead to pollution of the River Mole, which in turn could affect our sources at Leatherhead.</p>
<p>“The EA has required additional protection against the risk in the short term, but longer term the risks are not so well understood. However well-designed, there is a risk of failure at some time in the future.”</p>
<p>Public confidence is also dropping in two of the companies responsible for the drilling to foot the bill should a clean up of this scale be necessary. With over £50m wiped off UKOG’s share price recently due to possible formation damage from acid at Broadford Bridge oil well in Sussex and Europa’s share price going steadily down by over 66% in 5yrs, from over 12p in April 2013 to 3.85p on Wed 21st Feb, campaigners against the drilling fear this could end up costing the tax payer a lot more than they bargained for.</p>
<p>For further information, comment or to arrange a photo call, please contact Serena Billinghurst on 07727 123 874 or email <a href="mailto:serena@hwebber.co.uk">serena@hwebber.co.uk</a></p>
<p>To sign the petition please visit: <a href="https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-leith-hill-in-surrey-from-the-risk-of-water-contamination-from-planned-oil-drilling-1" target="_blank">https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-leith-hill-in-surrey-from-the-risk-of-water-contamination-from-planned-oil-drilling-1</a></p>
<p>The draft environmental permit and supporting documents <a href="https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/rh6-6hn-europa-oil-and-gas-limited/" target="_blank">can be viewed here</a>.</p>
<p>The EA's invitation to the 1st March public meeting at Dorking <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/residents-invited-to-holmwood-drilling-site-drop-in-event" target="_blank">is here</a>.</p>Voice for Leith HillPetition against risk to water supply nears 100,000 signaturesEnvironment Agency Permit Consultation - Open Now!!2018-02-20T21:12:35+00:002018-02-20T21:12:35+00:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/02/20/ea-consultation<h2 id="environment-agency-consultation">Environment Agency Consultation</h2>
<p>The Environment Agency have opened a public consultation on the draft environmental permit they are now minded to issue following the original public consultation held in May 2017 regarding Europa’s permit application. The consultation is open until 29th March 2018. We have now produced a submission guidance document with <a href="/2018/03/23/ea-guidance/">information on how to submit your comments which you can find here</a>.</p>Voice for Leith HillEnvironment Agency ConsultationAcidisation Infosheet2018-02-15T22:11:23+00:002018-02-15T22:11:23+00:00http://www.voiceforleithhill.co.uk/2018/02/15/acidisation-infosheet<h2>Acidisation and Tight Oil</h2>
<p>Should oil exist under the Weald basin at all, oil speculators have stated that it will be in the form of "tight oil" deposits - which are locked into the rock formations rather than being conventional free-flowing reservoirs. Confusingly however, they also state they do not intend to conduct fracking to access it.</p>
<p>The Weald Action Group have produced an excellent, informative leaflet which addresses this apparent contradiction, explaining how tight oil deposits can also be exploited using highly corrosive acids to dissolve the rock instead of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). You can <a href="/resources/acidisation-infosheet.pdf">download it here</a>.</p>Voice for Leith HillAcidisation and Tight Oil