Cuadrilla, an exploration company, has apparently applied to get permission to develop new fracking sites after 2011 when it had been blamed for creating earth tremors in Blackpool three years ago. As a result, the firm had to suspend test drilling and abandon the Preese Hall site near the seaside resort. It was the only place in the UK where modern fracking techniques have been used so far.
Incidentally, the new areas proposed to be explored by Cuadrilla apparently sit on the same massive reserve of shale gas which, once exploited, could help revolutionize Britain's energy market. However, the opposition is coming from groups opposed to fracking who feel fracking would not be good for the countryside – it would, in fact, pollute the environment. Cuadrilla has, reportedly, applied to Lancashire County Council for permission to frack two sites in a rural area between Preston and Blackpool.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the name given to the process of drilling a mile or more into the earth and then injecting water, chemicals and sand under high pressure into rock so that the shale gas trapped between the layers of stone gets released.
Incidentally, supporters of fracking in the US argue that it has considerably reduced America's dependence on imported energy supplies and has helped to bolster the economy.
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