To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is taken by the Environment Agency, and within what timescale, in the event of a pad being ruptured at a fracking site and the water going to ground.
Answered on
22 October 2018
The Environment Agency (EA) has the expertise and the resources to respond to any environmental incidents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If there is an incident which causes pollution of the environment, environmental damage, or if there is a breach of the permit or non-compliance with environmental legislation, the EA has a range of enforcement powers available.
In the event of damage to the protective membrane on a well pad, the EA would require the operator to carry out immediate repairs and to take remedial works should any environmental damage have been caused.