show me 10 academics who are experts in their field and you will...

show me 10 academics who are experts in their field and you will have 10 significanly different opinions. Research papers that make assumptions to show how something might happen.

Risks need to be weighed up against the cost of not doing anything and getting left further and futher behind USA.

David Smythe basically says faults in the Airth area pose risks of fugative leaks. (500m plus of upward migration of methane all through multiple faults linking the different layers; all when the methane has a path of much less resistance up through the well and into the Scots gas grid).

Well, in the US there are faults everywhere (Texas is full of them), and fracking is widely done horozontally through faults. Faults are often the most productive area. USA frackers sometimes target faults.

Anyone who's read David Smythes comments should see the other perspective, a 30 sec google search:

http://www.drillingcontractor.org/open-hole-packers-may-help-isolate-faults-in-multistage-fracturing-tight-formations-9340