10 Oct 2012, 16:00
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications today heard from policymakers, experts and a campaigning group on the possible environmental implications of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a means of exploration in Ireland.
10 October 2012
The Committee engaged separately with senior officials from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency Laura Burke and representatives from Good Energies Alliance Ireland, an independent organisation campaigning against shale gas extraction using fracking.
Chairman of the Committee Tom Hayes TD says: “Today our Committee heard a series of thought-provoking and insightful presentations on what is an emotive and divisive issue. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has the ultimate authority in granting licences for onshore gas exploration and he has made it clear that no decision will be taken before the results of further EPA scientific research is completed.
\"Fracking is banned in a number of EU countries, including France, and in-depth scientific study is required to assess whether Ireland’s geology lends it suitable to shale gas exploration. Our Committee is particularly concerned with the social and environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing. Committee Members emphatically put forward the view that local communities must have a meaningful input into the decision-making process on future development.
“The debate is particularly charged in the northwest of the country, where areas of Leitrim and Fermanagh are being assessed for their suitability for fracking. We heard that any development might significantly impact on farming and tourism in the northwest, and pose a risk to groundwater supplies. Keen to gain a firsthand insight, our Committee undertook today to visit North Leitrim where preliminary investigations are currently taking place and engage with a wide range of opinion within the communities living there.”
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +353 1 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
Committee Membership
Deputies
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Martin Ferris, Sinn Féin
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Tom Fleming, Independent
Noel Harrington, Fine Gael
Tom Hayes, Fine Gael (Chairman)
Colm Keaveney, Labour
Seán Kenny, Labour
Mattie McGrath, Independent
Éamon Ó Cuív, Fianna Fáil
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
John O’Mahony, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
Ann Phelan, Labour
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Senators
Terry Brennan
Sean D. Barrett
Eamonn Coghlan
Paschal Mooney
Ned O’Sullivan
John Whelan