Dear Editor GOD works in mysterious ways. On 15 and 16 April 2014 I attended the Public Appeal Inquiry, in Falkirk, made by Dart Energy against the Falkirk and Stirling Council decisions not to grant Dart Energy a licence to extract unconditional gas from a site Dart had been making test drills on for a number of years on a commercial basis.

It was agreed by the various parties involved not to do anything that could influence the inquiry during its deliberations.

Since that agreement was made a number of things have happened which could be important.

A joint statement from Igas Energy Pic (IGas) and Dart Energy Limited on 9 May 2014 (41 pages long) which contained the following: The boards of IGas and Dart Energy are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended acquisition by IGas of Dart which values the total share capital of Dart at approximately AS211.5 million on a fully diluted basis (being equivalent of AS117.1 million).

The acquisition will be via an Australian Scheme of Arrangement on a share basis.

The combination of IGas and Dart will create a market leading onshore UK oil and gas company with the largest area in the UK under licence of over one million net acres including major UK shale basins.

Dart reported a pre-tax loss of AS136 million in its audited accounts for the financial year 30 June 2013 including non-cash impairments of AS120 million. Adjusted for non-cash impairments.

The underlying pre-tax loss for the financial year 30 June 2013 was AS16 million. In 31 March Dart had a net cash position (including AS4.4 million currently utilised as bank guarantees) of AS29.8 million and is currently debt free.

At present Dart’s CBM project at PEDL 133 in Scotland is ready for development subject to the outcome of an on-going planning appeal and if developed could result in Dart’s commercial gas sales in 2016.

The above information begs a number of questions.

1. What is the community in the Forth Valley getting from gas extracted from beneath our feet?

2. What stand is nine political parties supporting 54 candidates for, what was six relatively safe MEP seats in the European Parliament, taking before the MEP European election for the Scottish Region taking regards unconditional gas?

3. What are any of the nine political party candidates prepared to do, if elected, to protect Scotland’s environment and assets?

Yours sincerely John Mitchell Alloa Road Tullibody