British fracking campaign takes early step

A British county council at the center of the country's fledgling hydraulic fracturing sector gave partial support Monday to shale pioneer Caudrilla Resources.

Caudrilla Resources aims to target shale natural gas reserves in Lancashire County. The region's council said Monday it recommended approval for a campaign with as many as four drilling sites and hydraulic fracturing. The recommendation was subject to restrictions ranging from hours of work to noise pollution.

A second application was recommended for refusal because of the potential for an increase in traffic on the rural highway network.

Caudrilla in a statement said it was pleased with the council's decision, though expressed frustration that efforts to satisfy local concerns were not recognized.

"We will await the councilors' decisions on both these applications at the end of June," the company said in a statement.

The British government in 2012 enacted new restrictions on hydraulic fracturing, ending a moratorium enforced after minor tremors were reported near Lancashire drilling sites. In January, the British Geological Survey announced plans to conduct live monitoring of shale exploration in Lancashire.

Cuadrilla estimates there may be as much as 200 trillion cubic feet of shale natural gas in the region.

Cuadrilla said preliminary well operations would not involve any actual hydraulic fracturing. It received federal permits to move forward in Lancashire from the British Environment Agency in February.

Fracking is in its infancy in the region. The Scottish and Welsh governments have each placed moratoriums on the drilling practice. Furqan Naeem, a campaigner with the British Friends of the Earth said it was time for the rest of the community to follow suit.

"Rejecting Cuadrilla's plans is the only way to stop Lancashire's communities and environment being made the U.K.'s guinea pig for risky and polluting fracking," he said.