On Thursday, the government’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) unveiled new licenses to explore for shale gas on British soil.

According to environmentalists, the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing Round marks the completion of a U-turn that will mean companies are allowed to prospect for shale gas, extracted using highly controversial ‘fracking’, under protected landscapes. The awarding of new licenses comes just a day after MPs voted to allow fracking under National Parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

In a statement on Thursday, the government assured that, before licensees can begin operations (such as drilling, hydraulic fracturing - fracking - or production) they must be granted a number of further permissions and consents on top of the licenses announced this week. These include planning permission, environmental permits from the Environment Agency, scrutiny of well design by the Health and Safety Executive, and OGA approval.

The 93 licences give companies the right to explore 159 blocks of land for on-shore oil and gas, with the vast majority of blocks situated in the north of England. The licenses cover land in the Lake District, Peak District and North York Moors.

Ahead of the vote on fracking under protected landscapes and Groundwater Protection Zones on Wednesday, which narrowly passed in the government’s favour, campaigners accused the Tories of “Trying to pull a fast one through an arcane Parliamentary process,” as the issue had only been debated by 18 MPs in a special legislative committee prior to the vote.

Greenpeace energy campaigner, Hannah Martin accused the government of “Blindly ignoring the potential of renewable energy while pushing [for] gas and nuclear [power],” and said that the moves, which come less than a week after senior government ministers participated in high-level climate talks in Paris, “[Defy] economic and environmental sense.”

On Thursday, the Greenpeace spokesperson said, “Just days after an historic agreement at the Paris climate summit to move towards a renewable energy future – the UK Government’s gung-ho approach to a new fossil fuel industry is bizarre and irresponsible. The Government seems to be saying it’s open season on the UK’s rural landscapes – forcing fracking on a reluctant public and on our most precious areas.”

Last night, Labour’s shadow environment and climate change secretary Lisa Nandy said “It is frankly shabby of the Government to sneak through these weak fracking rules without any proper Parliamentary debate. We should have a moratorium on fracking in Britain until we can be sure it is safe and won’t present intolerable risks to our environment.

“Neither MPs or the public have received these assurances yet Ministers are ignoring people’s legitimate concerns and imposing fracking on communities.”

In spite of the Conservatives’ zeal for fracking, there has been widespread opposition in communities where drilling has been proposed. Last year, farmers in Lancashire drove tractors through the centre of Preston in protest against a proposed well, and in January farmers in the county handed out free produce to celebrate the local council rejecting a fracking bid from energy firm Cuadrilla.