Is Surrey Going to be the New Texas?
BBC London News is reporting that oil drilling will be starting in Surrey soon. It’s also on the web site here.
Many years ago, I was told by a man, who’d at one time had been Managing Director or a large resources company, that Surrey was one of the most promising places to drill for oil and gas. He also lived in the county.
He believed that there should be a Local Extraction Tax. At present all taxes go to central government, who often waste it on their own vanity projects that have dubious value.
I agree with him, as just imagine what would happen to a County that got an extra fifty million pounds in its budget.
Wen we think of onshore drilling for oil and gas, we always think of towering structures and large amounts of flames reaching skywards. But the truth is rather different, if you look at an oil field like Wytch Farm. This is the largest onshore oil-field in Western Europe. Wikipedia says this about its location.
Most of the field is protected by various conservation laws, including the Jurassic Coast world heritage site, Purbeck Heritage Coast and a number of sites of special scientific interest, areas of outstanding natural beauty and nature reserves (including Studland and Brownsea Island), so the gathering centre and most of the well sites are small and well screened by trees. Directional drilling has also contributed to reducing the impact on the local environment, with extended reach drilling from the Goathorn Peninsula attaining distances in excess of 10 km.
In my view, Wytch Farm shows how we can exploit natural resources without destroying the planet or even the local area.
I also feel very strongly, that onshore fields are much safer, as all the staff generally live close and are thus so much more careful with that they do. They also generally have an interrupted family life, which probably contributes to making the right decisions.
I suppose one benefit of extracting oil in Surrey, would be that it would make changing light-bulbs in Manchester easier, if this joke is actually true.
Question: How many Manchester United fans does it take to change a light-bulb?
Answer: Two; one to actually change the bulb and another to drive him up from Surrey!
The Anonymous Widower 
My Mum was raised on various farms in north Notts…Grandad moved around in the 1920’s…to where he could find 6 months work in the pits. Mum went to 14 schools..
They have nodding donkeys..raising the oil..
On shore oil production can be very successful…depends on the ethos of those responsible…
J
Comment by Janet | May 25, 2011 |
You can still see them around Newark from the trains on the East Coast Main Line.
There’s even a museum to it all.
http://www.dukeswoodoilmuseum.co.uk/
Comment by AnonW | May 25, 2011 |