I apologise for being late. As Senator O'Neill said, there were votes in the Seanad. As the Opposition, of which I am a member, won it by one vote, one can understand the reasons I had to be present. I am sorry if I sound like I am indulging myself but considering the massive majority the Government enjoys in both Houses, it is a rather rare occurrence. That is for another day.
I wanted to pick up on what Mr. Maginness stated about energy in the context of sludge. Senator O'Neill spoke of this as a cross-Border issue. While this committee, under its previous configuration, dealt with the issue of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, it is an an all-island issue. I would reiterate, in a different context, what Senator O'Neill asked, namely, that the MLAs would keep a close watch on how this is developing, particularly in Northern Ireland.
The companies that are involved in fracking are operating in Fermanagh. The UK Government has a different approach. It is much farther advanced. My colleague, Deputy Colreavy, would know about this as well. The Lough Allen basin or the Bundoran shale area straddles the Border and does not recognise any land frontiers. It covers Fermanagh, south Donegal and a small part of Sligo, but mainly the two areas of Leitrim and into west Cavan.
As I stated, the UK Government is much more advanced in that it has taken a position on this because hydraulic fracturing is already under way in England. Those who follow this will be aware that a House of Commons select committee published a report six months ago where it did not decide one way or the other, and was somewhat neutral on it. A number of other countries have already banned hydraulic fracturing outright. Indeed, most recently, one of the larger oil exploration companies, Exxon, pulled out of Poland because the reserves are not as suggested. They are about one tenth of what they said, which also raises questions about the stories the licence applicants here are putting out about the resources under the ground.
For those who are not aware of this, the main company involved is called Tamboran Resources. This Australian-based company states that if the gas were to be extracted from both Fermanagh and Leitrim-Sligo, it would contribute over 60% of the island's energy needs. That will give an idea of the spin the company is putting on this but in light of what has been happening in Poland, it has not been decided definitively what the resources are.
The main reason I raise this is because it is a cross-Border issue and because the UK Government has a different policy to that of the Irish Government. The Irish Government has yet to develop a policy on fracking. It has instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a systematic report following an interim report which did not really indicate that all was well. To put it at its most blunt, as many will be aware, both sides of the Border, Fermanagh and Leitrim, is a lakeland region. Hydraulic fracturing involves sinking wells using millions of tonnes of water, which is then waste and can be somewhat toxic. Nobody can identify what environmental impact this hydraulic fracturing process will have on ground water. One can understand the real concerns among the people in the area, with so many lakes and rivers in Fermanagh, Leitrim and Cavan. As members here will be aware, on a more national level there is talk of using the Shannon as a reservoir to supply Dublin with water.
I ask that the MLAs would watch how this issue develops because it could have serious environmental implications. Naturally, agriculture would be the first sector affected if there was to be any suggestion that the ground water was contaminating the land. I will not dwell on the point too much and I am grateful to the Chairman for indulging me on this. It is because Mr. Maginness raised renewable energies. One side of the argument being made is that this is a most wonderful development of tremendous benefit, considering that energy will be one of the main issues, along with food, to confront the world over the next generation. It is vitally important that they acquaint themselves with it if they have not done so and that they ensure their interests on the northern side of the Border are protected from an environmental protection point of view.