The Scottish Government may have imposed a moratorium on fracking until more research can be completed, but the petrochemical giant Ineos is still pushing ahead with its plans to bring the controversial practice to Scotland.
As part of a process of trying to win over residents living near the proposed sites in an area that covers Shotts, Kirkintilloch, Bishopbriggs and Falkirk, the company has also put a large amount of money on the table, promising that the Scottish communities that agree to fracking will be given £2.5billion.
For opponents of fracking such as Friends of the Earth, the £2.5bn promise will look like an attempt to buy support for a process of extracting shale gas that has attracted serious environmental concern and public opposition. But for Ineos, which operates the Grangemouth oil refinery, it is an investment in a process which it believes is the key to the future of its business (it has been spending millions importing shale gas from the United States).
Whichever side you take in the argument, the moratorium imposed by the Scottish Government is the right approach for now. There is a huge division of opinion on the downside and potential risks of fracking and the possible upside and economic benefits, but there is currently enough doubt about its safety for the ban to stay in place until the health and environmental implications have been thoroughly examined.
Should fracking be proved safe at the end of that process, Ineos and other companies should then be permitted to take the cautious first steps towards exploiting shale gas as part of a broad mix focused on renewables. The business case for fracking may look trickier these days due to the falling price of oil (particularly in a heavily urbanised country like the UK) and shale gas must never be allowed to rival renewables as the mainstay of Scotland's energy future. But the vast majority of Scots still use gas to heat their homes and reliable and cost-effective supplies of it will be needed for the foreseeable future, especially if the long-term viability of the Longannet power station cannot be secured.
None of that should be allowed to lead to a free-for-all for fracking prospectors though and proper compensation for local communities must be part of the process. Ineos's £2.5bn is a lot of money, but should fracking go ahead, it must be targeted directly at the communities that need it. The sad spectacle of councils being lumbered with open-cast mines when the companies go bust is also proof of what happens when the proper procedures for restoration of the landscape are not in place.
In the meantime, the serious environmental concerns around fracking are rightly keeping the Government's finger on the pause button. There is a lot of natural gas in Scotland that could be extracted using fracking, but it can only go ahead after it has been proved to be safe, and a robust process to protect and compensate local communities has been put in place. Even Ineos agrees that the only way forward from here is a slow and cautious one.
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