Ban "small-scale fracking" for onshore oil and gas
Fracking forces fluid into rocks to open cracks so oil or gas can flow out. It was banned in 2019 after being blamed for causing earthquakes in shale gas drilling. But the ban only covers fracking with large volumes of fluid.
Signatures
10,626
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 10,626/100,000
- 04 JAN 2026Petition closedFinal total: 10,626 signatures
- 11 NOV 2025Government respondedDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroGovernment reply
We are committed to ending fracking for good. We are aware of local concerns regarding low volume hydraulic fracturing and are keeping this policy under internal review.
Read full response - 15 OCT 202510,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 04 JUL 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
We want the ban to be extended to cover activities with smaller volumes of liquid.
Extracting oil and gas will intensify the impact of climate change. There are companies who have submitted planning applications to use what we see as "small-scale fracking" to extract oil and gas. Little is known of the potential risks of this activity. We ask the government to close what we feel is a loophole to help protect communities from harm. We believe not doing so could slow the essential transition towards clean, renewable energy.