UK Government Lifts Fracking Ban as ‘Inconclusive’ Geological Report Published

Ed Miliband calls it a 'Charter for Earthquakes'

Undated handout photo of the Cuadrilla hydraulic fracturing site at Preston New Road shale gas exploration site in Lancashire, England. (Cuadrilla via PA Media

The government has lifted the ban on fracking in England, despite the publication of a report (pdf) by the British Geological Survey (BGS) which was “inconclusive” and said more data was needed.

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a process in which high-pressure liquid is fired at shale formations to release gas.