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Thousands of Ineos fracking protesters expected at Tour de Yorkshire next weekend

“Nobody is planning to impede the course – the hard work and professionalism of the riders is respected too much”

Thousands of protesters will wear masks of Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe at next week’s Tour de Yorkshire to protest the chemical firm’s impending sponsorship of what is currently Team Sky. Ineos holds licences to carry out fracking across much of North and South Yorkshire. Friends of the Earth described the firm as “a major risk to this wonderful part of the country.”

Sky announced in December that it was withdrawing its sponsorship of the team from the end of this season and it was subsequently announced that Team Sky will become Team Ineos from May 1.

Team Ineos will debut at Tour de Romandie in one-off kit before its official launch at the Tour de Yorkshire on May 2.

Many of the sites at which Ineos is licensed to carry out fracking are along the route of the race and the Guardian reports that a number of different groups have plans to protest.

There are various plans, including the distribution of 10,000 face masks of Ratcliffe with devil’s horns and various examples of “land art” that could be picked up by helicopter shots of the race.

All campaigners stressed that they had no plans to disrupt the event.

“I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United, which is handing out the face masks. “There is particular irony with the Ineos sponsorship after Team Sky spent last summer riding around with whales on the back of their jerseys to raise awareness of plastics in the ocean.”

Shelley Bath, a founder member of Frack Free Allerton Bywater in south-east Leeds, which is planning a protest in Kippax, said: “It is a disgrace that a race promoting one of the greenest forms of transport is being sponsored by one of the dirtiest industries.”

Frack Free Leeds will unfurl banners on the final stage on Sunday May 6 with slogans such as: “Ineos, tha’s not welcome here.”

Simon Bowens, Yorkshire and Humber campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: “Ineos shouldn’t be trying to greenwash cycling. The Tour de Yorkshire is a fantastic event showcasing much of the county’s best assets. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, with the lion’s share of the 6,000km2 of the county licensed for fracking, is a major risk to this wonderful part of the country.

“Everyone here is very excited for this event and nobody is planning to impede the course, the hard work and professionalism of the riders is respected too much.”

A spokesperson for Team Sky said: “The team remains committed to reducing its use of single-use plastics and is proud of the awareness we have helped raise so far.

“We know this will continue to be a priority for Ineos given their own commitment to new technological solutions on plastics recycling and reuse.

“Ineos is committed to moving towards a circular economy where waste plastic is used as a raw material back into its process, not ending up in the sea.”

Earlier this month, court of appeal judges ruled in favour of activists who wanted to overturn an injunction granted to Ineos preventing campaigners from obstructing its fracking operations.

Campaigners faced being jailed, fined or having their assets seized if they broke the injunction, but judges ruled that it was was “too wide and insufficiently clear”.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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32 comments

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

She's also been deleting emails made to industry, investigation ongoing, if she hadn't just resigned she would have been sacked for gross misconduct.

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Ad Hynkel | 4 years ago
1 like

I see Natscha Engel has been a consultant for INEOS in the past. Kind of exempts her from the "voice of reason on fracking" status she possibly imagines she might have with the public.

Just found this fascinating website covering relationships on the lobbying gravy-train:
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Natascha_Engel

Avatar
Ad Hynkel | 4 years ago
3 likes

Don't need "eco" reasons to have naff all to do with U2

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes

You know who the real eco bastard is?

Bono. Imagine the carbon footprint from U2 gigs and everything attatched to them.

Boycott U2!

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srchar replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes

Rick_Rude wrote:

You know who the real eco bastard is? Bono. Imagine the carbon footprint from U2 gigs and everything attatched to them. Boycott U2!

And he owns a significant stake in Facebook. Running a website as big as FB requires an absolutely huge amount of electricity.

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ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

Odd that those crazy Dutch have banned it.

Because of earthquakes and fears of pollution.

But hey, what do they know, and Germany, Scotland, Wales, and from the look of it quite a bit of the good ol hydrocarbon addicted US of A.

We're BP being regulated when they were drilling for oil?

 

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don simon fbpe replied to ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

ktache wrote:

Odd that those crazy Dutch have banned it.

Because of earthquakes and fears of pollution.

But hey, what do they know, and Germany, Scotland, Wales, and from the look of it quite a bit of the good ol hydrocarbon addicted US of A.

We're BP being regulated when they were drilling for oil?

 

Well thank god we'll soon be out of reach of those sensible Europeans and their rules and regulations that keep us safe.

 

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Mungecrundle | 4 years ago
3 likes

Fracking is perfectly safe as a method of extracting hydrocarbon resources. Setting them on fire as a means of creating power, definitely more questionable.

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kingleo | 4 years ago
1 like

I wonder how many of the fracking protesters will go to and from the protest using their cars.

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don simon fbpe replied to kingleo | 4 years ago
0 likes

kingleo wrote:

I wonder how many of the fracking protesters will go to and from the protest using their cars.

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Ad Hynkel | 4 years ago
3 likes

So, Ineos. Based in that beautiful (relatively) un-spoiled country of Switzerland, where I believe fracking is banned. Not only is INEOS UK tax-shy but seems scared of a bit of plucky Brit free speech too. Where do you get the masks from?

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Sniffer replied to Ad Hynkel | 4 years ago
0 likes

Ad Hynkel wrote:

So, Ineos. Based in that beautiful (relatively) un-spoiled country of Switzerland, where I believe fracking is banned. Not only is INEOS UK tax-shy but seems scared of a bit of plucky Brit free speech too. Where do you get the masks from?

You are out of date.  INEOS was based in Switzerland for a while, but no longer.  It came back to the UK.

The owner lives in Monaco.

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watlina replied to Sniffer | 4 years ago
3 likes

Sniffer wrote:

The owner lives in Monaco.

Just like Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome, Peter Sagan, Richie Porte, Lizzie Deignan and many other pro cyclists.

 

  

 

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Organon replied to watlina | 4 years ago
3 likes

watlina wrote:

Sniffer wrote:

The owner lives in Monaco.

Just like Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome, Peter Sagan, Richie Porte, Lizzie Deignan and many other pro cyclists.

I am sure it is just for proximity to their favourite alpine climbs.

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stomec replied to Organon | 4 years ago
4 likes

Organon wrote:

watlina wrote:

Sniffer wrote:

The owner lives in Monaco.

Just like Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome, Peter Sagan, Richie Porte, Lizzie Deignan and many other pro cyclists.

I am sure it is just for proximity to their favourite alpine climbs.

 

And not to get out of paying a tax bill of 4 billion pounds, unlike the directors of INEOS:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/feb/17/brexiter-jim-ratcliffe-...

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ktache | 4 years ago
5 likes

There are trains.

Some will get there by bicycle, I've always seen a lot of race spectators dressed in lycra with their bicycles by the side of the road.

And I don't know if you know much about bicycle road races, but the Tour de Yorkshire will actually come to them.  The good people of Yorkshire as a whole aren't particularly keen on fracking and it's potential for causing earthquakes in God's own Country.  As I understand it their democratically elected local authorities have consistently opposed it.

Oh, and contaminating their ground water.

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massive4x4 replied to ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

ktache wrote:

There are trains.

Some will get there by bicycle, I've always seen a lot of race spectators dressed in lycra with their bicycles by the side of the road.

And I don't know if you know much about bicycle road races, but the Tour de Yorkshire will actually come to them.  The good people of Yorkshire as a whole aren't particularly keen on fracking and it's potential for causing earthquakes in God's own Country.  As I understand it their democratically elected local authorities have consistently opposed it.

Oh, and contaminating their ground water.

You keep on mentioning these "earthquakes", the ones generated by fracking require sophisticated and delicate equipment to detect.

Fracking of one form or another has been taking place for over a century, sensibly regulated it has very minor effects certainly nowhere near those sensationalist ones claimed by protestors or documented (made up) in gas lands.

The actual effects on the surface of the area will be neglible (less than 1% of the area of the deposit), the surface structures are minimal and easily hid and the whole point around directional drilling is that the drill site can be a long way from the actual deposit.

Contamination of ground water is not an inherent property of fracking as the fracking location is normally kilometers deeper than actual ground water deposites. Provided the well is properly sealed it will pass throught he ground water layer without any effects. Fracking in the UK is highly (some would say excessively) regulated.

Whether we frack or not within about 10 year all new cars will be electric, about another 10 years and virtually all new transport will be carbon free, there will be about a 20 year long tail as industry and heating gradually phase out virtually everything which emits carbon. The reason will be cost (it will be cheaper) and the hard work of technologists, not hippies protesting.

Even when everything is carbon free we will still need virtually everything Ineos produces because they are a petrochemicals company not an energy company.

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Finkyfc | 4 years ago
0 likes

Just curious , how are all these thousands of protesters getting there? Oh right , in cars and vans.

hang on what are the masks likely to contain or have in manufacturing process ? Oh right , petrochemicals 

Get a grip , Ineos are at least trying to create a sustainable environment for products we all use many times daily , whether you like it or not or even realise you are using. 

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ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

Do you think that those concerned with the future of our country and planet were responsible for these particular protests?

https://road.cc/search/tacks%20route

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HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
9 likes

Have there been similar protests about the Total Direct Energy team?

The differences are that Direct Energie are not trying to frack Yorkshire, so far as I know; they're not a British team; and they are not funded by a Brexiter living in Europe.

In any case, your argument is based on the fallacy that if you don't protest about every single thing that is wrong in this world, you're not allowed to object to anything at all.

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Awavey replied to HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
0 likes

HarrogateSpa wrote:

Have there been similar protests about the Total Direct Energy team?

The differences are that Direct Energie are not trying to frack Yorkshire, so far as I know; they're not a British team; and they are not funded by a Brexiter living in Europe.

In any case, your argument is based on the fallacy that if you don't protest about every single thing that is wrong in this world, you're not allowed to object to anything at all.

well it would be nice if there was consistency in these protests, not just against the easy 15mins of fame of instagram targets. Ineos have been involved in pro cycling since Team Sky started using Pinarello bikes,they produce the carbon fibre "nanotechnology" that makes the bike theyve been riding for years, how do you think Brailsford had their number on speed dial in the first place ?

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ktache | 4 years ago
5 likes

Are Total fracking and causing earthquakes in Yorkshire too?

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JimD666 replied to ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes
ktache wrote:

Are Total fracking and causing earthquakes in Yorkshire too?

From the Article:

“I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United

Avatar
crazy-legs replied to JimD666 | 4 years ago
4 likes

JimD666 wrote:

From the Article: “I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United

He's in for a shock when he sees the hundreds of vehicles involved then and the tens of thousands of miles collectively driven by them over the course of 4 days.

Road cycle racing is up there with Formlua 1 in terms of emissions and pollution which is kind of ironic when you look at cycling as a means of transport!

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BehindTheBikesheds replied to crazy-legs | 4 years ago
0 likes

crazy-legs wrote:

JimD666 wrote:

From the Article: “I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United

He's in for a shock when he sees the hundreds of vehicles involved then and the tens of thousands of miles collectively driven by them over the course of 4 days.

Road cycle racing is up there with Formlua 1 in terms of emissions and pollution which is kind of ironic when you look at cycling as a means of transport!

Have you got some figures on that so we can make our own judgement on it?

When you say F1, you do actually mean motorsport as a whole don't you, because you can't compare just one tiny aspect of motorsport (albeit it the pinnacle of such) and compare it to all of professional road racing can you?

Just to give you an idea, on any given F1 weekend alone they will use between 20 cars approx 4000 litres of petrol, that's based on 105kg for race day, the three free practises - were drivers will drive sometimes around 30 laps a session, the Chinese GP has already seen 13 out of 20 doing more than 25 laps a session (so well in excess of race distance over the three sessions), plus qualifying. This isn't based on all cars finishing either because it would be around 5000-5500l

4000l is 880 gallons give or take, @40mpg that is 35,195 miles worth of fuel used by F1 cars every weekend. That's just the cars, that's not even close to the fuel/pollution used getting to and from with all the kit, you've seen the modules that arrive at each track right, these make the SKY deathstar bus look like a tie fighter! Then there's the fuel at testing in the winter, then there's the fuel for engine testing at the factories, and that is just one tiny fraction of motorsport.

So, show us the data so we can see the numbers.

Avatar
don simon fbpe replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
0 likes

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

crazy-legs wrote:

JimD666 wrote:

From the Article: “I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United

He's in for a shock when he sees the hundreds of vehicles involved then and the tens of thousands of miles collectively driven by them over the course of 4 days.

Road cycle racing is up there with Formlua 1 in terms of emissions and pollution which is kind of ironic when you look at cycling as a means of transport!

Have you got some figures on that so we can make our own judgement on it?

When you say F1, you do actually mean motorsport as a whole don't you, because you can't compare just one tiny aspect of motorsport (albeit it the pinnacle of such) and compare it to all of professional road racing can you?

Just to give you an idea, on any given F1 weekend alone they will use between 20 cars approx 4000 litres of petrol, that's based on 105kg for race day, the three free practises - were drivers will drive sometimes around 30 laps a session, the Chinese GP has already seen 13 out of 20 doing more than 25 laps a session (so well in excess of race distance over the three sessions), plus qualifying. This isn't based on all cars finishing either because it would be around 5000-5500l

4000l is 880 gallons give or take, @40mpg that is 35,195 miles worth of fuel used by F1 cars every weekend. That's just the cars, that's not even close to the fuel/pollution used getting to and from with all the kit, you've seen the modules that arrive at each track right, these make the SKY deathstar bus look like a tie fighter! Then there's the fuel at testing in the winter, then there's the fuel for engine testing at the factories, and that is just one tiny fraction of motorsport.

So, show us the data so we can see the numbers.

I bet they don't exist, as I bet that no one has the time to do a study. And I also bet it'd be difficult to do a like for like comparison for your satisfaction. I'd aslo bet that the statement isn't asking for a comparison.

Which, of course, doesn't mean the statement is wrong. Which I guess that you can prove.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to don simon fbpe | 4 years ago
0 likes

don simon fbpe wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

crazy-legs wrote:

JimD666 wrote:

From the Article: “I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United

He's in for a shock when he sees the hundreds of vehicles involved then and the tens of thousands of miles collectively driven by them over the course of 4 days.

Road cycle racing is up there with Formlua 1 in terms of emissions and pollution which is kind of ironic when you look at cycling as a means of transport!

Have you got some figures on that so we can make our own judgement on it?

When you say F1, you do actually mean motorsport as a whole don't you, because you can't compare just one tiny aspect of motorsport (albeit it the pinnacle of such) and compare it to all of professional road racing can you?

Just to give you an idea, on any given F1 weekend alone they will use between 20 cars approx 4000 litres of petrol, that's based on 105kg for race day, the three free practises - were drivers will drive sometimes around 30 laps a session, the Chinese GP has already seen 13 out of 20 doing more than 25 laps a session (so well in excess of race distance over the three sessions), plus qualifying. This isn't based on all cars finishing either because it would be around 5000-5500l

4000l is 880 gallons give or take, @40mpg that is 35,195 miles worth of fuel used by F1 cars every weekend. That's just the cars, that's not even close to the fuel/pollution used getting to and from with all the kit, you've seen the modules that arrive at each track right, these make the SKY deathstar bus look like a tie fighter! Then there's the fuel at testing in the winter, then there's the fuel for engine testing at the factories, and that is just one tiny fraction of motorsport.

So, show us the data so we can see the numbers.

I bet they don't exist, as I bet that no one has the time to do a study. And I also bet it'd be difficult to do a like for like comparison for your satisfaction. I'd aslo bet that the statement isn't asking for a comparison.

Which, of course, doesn't mean the statement is wrong. Which I guess that you can prove.

Nor does it make it correct/accurate either, people making a statement as fact really need to back that up instead of making massive guesses and then making a massive  boob in comparison terms.

You can't go making a comparison pollution wise between one fraction of one sport and then compare it to the whole of another can you, or did my point re that evade you?

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

don simon fbpe wrote:

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

crazy-legs wrote:

JimD666 wrote:

From the Article: “I don’t think fossil fuels should be included in sport,” said Steve Mason from Frack Free United

He's in for a shock when he sees the hundreds of vehicles involved then and the tens of thousands of miles collectively driven by them over the course of 4 days.

Road cycle racing is up there with Formlua 1 in terms of emissions and pollution which is kind of ironic when you look at cycling as a means of transport!

Have you got some figures on that so we can make our own judgement on it?

When you say F1, you do actually mean motorsport as a whole don't you, because you can't compare just one tiny aspect of motorsport (albeit it the pinnacle of such) and compare it to all of professional road racing can you?

Just to give you an idea, on any given F1 weekend alone they will use between 20 cars approx 4000 litres of petrol, that's based on 105kg for race day, the three free practises - were drivers will drive sometimes around 30 laps a session, the Chinese GP has already seen 13 out of 20 doing more than 25 laps a session (so well in excess of race distance over the three sessions), plus qualifying. This isn't based on all cars finishing either because it would be around 5000-5500l

4000l is 880 gallons give or take, @40mpg that is 35,195 miles worth of fuel used by F1 cars every weekend. That's just the cars, that's not even close to the fuel/pollution used getting to and from with all the kit, you've seen the modules that arrive at each track right, these make the SKY deathstar bus look like a tie fighter! Then there's the fuel at testing in the winter, then there's the fuel for engine testing at the factories, and that is just one tiny fraction of motorsport.

So, show us the data so we can see the numbers.

I bet they don't exist, as I bet that no one has the time to do a study. And I also bet it'd be difficult to do a like for like comparison for your satisfaction. I'd aslo bet that the statement isn't asking for a comparison.

Which, of course, doesn't mean the statement is wrong. Which I guess that you can prove.

Nor does it make it correct/accurate either, people making a statement as fact really need to back that up instead of making massive guesses and then making a massive  boob in comparison terms.

You can't go making a comparison pollution wise between one fraction of one sport and then compare it to the whole of another can you, or did my point re that evade you?

 

Sounds like it would be a mind-bogglingly complicated process to compare the two.  I mean, would you not also have to include the effect of whatever mode-of-transport all the spectators use to travel to the venue, and all the effects of all the associated media people covering the events, and maybe a share of the pollution caused by the production of all the equipment used in for both those things...as well as taking into account counter-factuals about what every one and everything involved would be doing if not engaged in this activity...

 

And then I would wonder, how much pollution is caused by the work involved in doing the calculation/study in order to work out how much pollution the two activities cause, eh?

 

In the absence of any such calculation and evidence, I'm going to go with the instinctive idea that crazy-legs is probably wrong and that in any case the original point is probably more about the symbolic significance of putting fossil-fuel use at centre-stage in a sport, than the actual fuel usage.

Avatar
JimD666 | 4 years ago
2 likes

Have there been similar protests about the Total Direct Energy team?

Edit to add: It may be the cynic in me but I can't help but believe that the protesters have been rubbing their hands in glee over the whole thing. After all how much publicity would they of had without it?

Avatar
alansmurphy | 4 years ago
1 like

"Nobody is planning to impede the course – the hard work and professionalism of the riders is respected too much"

 

Until one tree hugger has too many sherberts.

 

I agree though Harrogate, surely better to wait for the Giro and TDF as the frackers wouldn't bother to follow them due to the pollution it would cause...

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