Just two days after Denton, Texas made international news by voting to ban hydraulic fracture stimulation within its city limits, there will be yet another fracking debate in London involving an outspoken critic of the Texas ban, Chris Faulkner, chief executive of Breitling Energy Corporation.
The debate, billed as “The Frack Off” will be held today at 12.30pm as part of the 3rd Annual Energy Live 2014 conference, which is expecting more than 600 attendees.
Faulkner will be debating Eva Jasiewicz, a journalist, union organizer and activist.
Jasiewicz supports the group, No Dash for Gas, a UK-based vocal grassroots network that feels development of additional natural gas power plants in England would be harmful to the environment.
The group opposes fracking, and its supporters participate in frequent rallies against bringing the practice to the UK.
Faulkner is no stranger to the energy debate, as host of his own daily radio show, Powering America, which airs nationally in the United States. This debate, however, comes only two days after the voters of Denton, Texas, a community about 45 minutes drive from Faulkner’s downtown Dallas offices, voted to ban fracking inside the city limits.
“I promise you, this will come up in London,” Faulkner said on his radio show Wednesday, referring to the Denton vote.
“The folks in Denton were sold a bill of goods, with a bunch of malarkey strapped to it,” Faulkner said in his monologue.
“I don’t want to see this magnified in places like England, which has a good chance to develop energy independence and has the support of the Prime Minister. England could have 450 years of self-sufficient natural gas according to a recent scientific study released by the University of Manchester and I’m here to insure they know the facts about developing it.”
Faulkner also forecast the legal action filed today by the Texas Oil and Gas Association and the Texas General Land Office to place injunctions on the vote, stating it violates State law.
“There will be more coming, including mineral rights suits and more I’m aware of but can’t discuss yet,” Faulkner said.
Unlike other countries, in the United States, the rights to extract mineral assets under the ground are a tangible possession that can be retained by the property owner, or sold as an asset to another party. It is anticipated that some rights owners inside the city limits may file lawsuits to recover the estimated value of their assets, if the ban is upheld.