The Telegraph: Shale gas is not the silver bullet to all our energy problems
On Tuesday the Telegraph runs a revealing story, the thrust of which is becoming increasingly familiar: Tory Ministers in the Government have again overstated the evidence on shale gas.
While today it is on the likely timetable for fracking, in recent weeks we have seen similar exaggerations on the impact on bills, on the level of community benefit and on the number of jobs that might be created.
Unsubstantiated claims degrade the quality of the public debate on shale gas. They provoke more extreme reactions from critics, marginalise moderate voices and inflate a bubble of expectation that is highly unlikely to ever be met. Unfortunately, shale gas is an issue in which overstatement appears to have become the default setting of the government.
For this, David Cameron must accept a sizeable share of the blame. His promises concerning the potential benefits of shale gas frequently outrun the evidence or the likely reality. MORE