Amber gamblers

Readers of this blog will have see how Cuadrilla have claimed that the traffic light system only applies if a tremor happens while they are pumping – “If we had been pumping at that time it would have indeed been an amber event we would have confirmed it.”

Imagine my surprise to read this in their own newsletter “Lancashire First” (note to Cuadrilla’s PR Intern –  you are already a bit close to the UKIP nutters of the area so you may want to be more careful with your naming there).

Yes that’s right – it says if a seismic event is induced by hydraulic fracturing within an operational boundary, not only while you are pumping. Mind you he doesn’t seem to have got that “proceed with caution” bit from the BEIS infographic.

Hey! Maybe the problem is that this traffic light system is really just one pretty picture that anyone can interpret just as they please – but if that were the case then the claim that we have Gold Standard regulation would be show to be a pile of tosh wouldn’t it? Perish the very thought!

Oh and look! The BGS says

Yes that’s any earthquakes and monitoring before during and after – not just when you are pumping.

So here is a challenge to Cuadrilla – please explain how you believe the regulation allows you to ignore earthquakes which occur as “trailing events” because your own pet seismologist and the BGS both seem to be saying that that is not the case.