Timmy Dooley
Question:57. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when he will issue guidelines relating to hydraulic fracturing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27838/13]
View answerTuesday, 11 June 2013
Questions (57)
Oral answers (12 contributions)
The current position in Ireland with respect to the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is that my Department has not approved any application for, nor licensed the use of, hydraulic fracturing in the Irish onshore.
Notwithstanding this position, however, I understand there are genuine concerns about the potential environmental considerations which may be associated with such activities. For this reason in October 2011, I asked the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to examine the whole issue of fracking and its potential environmental implications with particular reference to Irish geological conditions.
The EPA is in the process of finalising terms of reference to engage the appropriate expertise in this regard. These draft terms of reference have been the subject of a public consultation process. Over 1,000 submissions were received under this process and these are being examined. It is anticipated that, following the engagement of the relevant experts, the study will take considerable time to complete, leading to a potential publication date in 2015. The key questions to be addressed by this research are if this technology can be used while fully protecting the environment and what the best environmental practice in using this technology might be.
Any environmental guidance issued with respect to the conduct of fracking activities in Ireland would be informed by the findings of this research, were the research to find that such activities could be undertaken in an environmentally compliant manner. From a safety perspective, any proposed fracking activities would come under the remit of the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER. The regulator has already published statutory guidelines on the submission of safety cases relating to designated petroleum activities which will come into effect in November of this year.
We are heading into uncharted territory with fracking. The EPA’s report will be crucial in this regard. The Minister expects the report to be published in 2015 but there are significant concerns in communities that have been identified as sites with the potential for fracking exploration. It is important the correct messages are given out regarding environmental compliance and that nothing will be done until the EPA’s report is published. Is the Minister satisfied the EPA will have a report by 2015? It is important we wait until the report is published, irrespective of what is happening in other parts of the Continent.
We should wait until the EPA comes back to us with a scientific report, in which we can have all aspects investigated to the nth degree, before we proceed.
I call on the Minister to reply. I will then call a number of other Deputies.
I accept what the Deputy has said, namely, that there are genuine concerns about the environmental and public health implications of the technology known as hydraulic fracturing. I accept that we have to get the science right and that any decision made in the future will have to be made on evidence-based conclusions. It is for that reason I have commissioned the EPA - I do not think anyone would question its independence - to cause this study to be delivered. It parallels many similar studies being undertaken in other member states of the European Union. The British Government recently brought forward tax advantages to encourage hydraulic fracturing in Britain and, generally, across Europe similar studies are being engaged in. There has been some exploratory drilling in Poland, but the results have been deemed disappointing so far. I presume there are many people in Poland who would say if shale gas was safe, that it would be a big step forward on the use of coal which is their country's main energy source. Europe cannot ignore the implications of the revolution in the use of shale gas in the United States. It has had a dramatic impact on the price of energy. Gas is between four and five times more expensive in Europe than in the United States. I need not point out to the Deputies the competitiveness implications of this for Europe vis-à-vis doing business with the United States. It is also something the European Commission and Heads of Government have to take into account.
I call Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett who will be followed by Deputy Michael Colreavy.
I ask the Minister to watch the documentary film "Gasland" about the impact of hydraulic fracturing in some states in the United States. What it details is terrifying. Whole swathes of agricultural land have been poisoned and become unusable. The consequences of such activity for a much smaller country like ours where agriculture, tourism and the environment are extremely important could not but help the Minister to conclude that hydraulic fracturing is definitely not for this country, if it is something that should be pursued anywhere. If we have to find cheap energy sources, let us find them in renewables. Fracking is a no-no and would be a disaster for this country.
The Minister is increasingly appearing to be a champion of hydraulic fracturing. I would not pin all my hopes on the economics of fracking because evidence is coming forward that three times the number of planned fracking wells are needed in order to hit the projected targets. That would have an impact on the cost of shale gas. Even more importantly, we of all nations should have learned that we cannot fully trust regulators and systems of regulation. When the Taoiseach was in Pennsylvania, he spoke in glowing terms about the shale gas effort there. I presume in Pennsylvania that there is the US equivalent of the EPA which undertook reports and so on before the work was done. The Department of Environmental Protection in Pennsylvania wrote a letter to many people in this regard.
The letter stated that there is a physical danger of fire or explosion due to the migration of natural gas into water wells or through soils into dwellings where it could be ignited by sources that are present in most homes and buildings. It also stated clearly that the departmental investigation indicates that gas well drilling has impacted the water supply.
The worrying thing is that it was not the regulators who picked up on these problems but people who insisted that the Department of Environmental Protection carry out the tests. They were lucky enough to have baseline information, otherwise they would not have a leg on which to stand. It was up to the people. The companies will not notify and the regulators are not doing what regulators should do and we of all people know the consequences of that.
I have explained that any decisions down the line will have to be evidence based. I do not know how Deputy Colreavy can draw the conclusions he has drawn. I would say to Deputy Boyd Barrett that I have very limited time these days to watch horror movies.
The Minister should watch this one.
However, there are plenty of experts who will say that what is on display in that particular horror movie is no longer up to speed in terms of the technology.
I am not a scientist and I do not have to make this decision. The reason we create agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency, is that we, as policymakers, have expert advice available to us from people who are qualified to make these judgments. I share any concern there is about damage to the water tables in Ireland or to public health but I repeat again, because apparently there is a necessity to do so, that there is no fracking going on in Ireland.
Keep it that way.
Deputy Boyd Barrett should relax. His tap is perfectly safe. It will not go on fire until we at least get the EPA report. When get the report, we will discuss it.