UK Onshore Operators Group

The United Kingdom Onshore Operators Group (UKOOG) calls itself the 'the UK voice for onshore oil and gas exploration'.

Discussing fracking 'lines to take' with UK govt

In January 2014 Freedom of Information requests made by Greenpeace revealed that the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) had emailed what it called "lines to take" to UKOOG before the publication of the potential public health effects of chemical and radioactive pollutants from fracking in a review by Public Health England.

One such line was: "We are confident that there is robust and appropriate regulation in the UK to ensure safe operations that minimise impacts to human health."

The Guardian reported:

In one case the Decc apologised to UKOOG: "Sorry to raise your blood pressure on this subject again, no expletives please!" following a discussion of contentious policy points. In another email, UKOOG's chief executive, Ken Cronin, tells Duarte Figueira, head of Decc's office of unconventional gas and oil: "Thanks for a productive meeting (it's like being set homework)."

A spokeswoman for Decc told the Guardian:

Decc has working relationships with external partners across its portfolio and this is no different with regards to shale gas. It is right and proper that Decc facilitates discussions between companies, regulators and other interested parties as part of this. The government believes that shale gas has the potential to provide the UK with greater energy security, growth and jobs. We are encouraging safe and environmentally sound exploration to determine this potential."

Cronin, of UKOOG, said: "Given the amount of regulatory and wider industry issues at present, you would expect Decc to have a fairly open dialogue with the industry trade body just as Decc has with environmental NGOs, as witnessed by the NGOs' input into the strategic environmental assessment announced in December."

People

• Ken Cronin

Lobbying firms

• Newgate Communications

Affiliations

• Member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Unconventional Oil and Gas (which is run by lobbying and PR firm Edelman.

Contact

Website:

Twitter: UKOOG (315 followers as of 20 January 2014)