Fracking in Lough Allen

I would ride myself cos im a sexy man · 15-07-2011 10:47pm #1

Surprised there isnt a thread on this serious issue, which looks like a far worse version of the shell to sea campaign.

This a decent introduction on the subject from the Leitrim forum, where all locals in the Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Fermanagh and other areas are outraged and very angry at news this fracking may possible happen, but with the sign of €€€ our politicians and councillors will gladly walk over these people no matter what the risk.

Most alarming is the fact this fracking is banned in France, several countries and parts of the UK due to dangerous health concerns, but because we are debt this will possibly start here...:mad:

No surprise that clown Conor Lenihan sanctioned these licenses to big international companies last year, and made sure they want through before he left office.

Chipboard wrote: »

This is pretty unbelievable but I was watching CSI tonight (the episode was still on until a few minutes ago but I'm so shocked at what I've found that I turned down the volume to concentrate on this).

The episode was about fracking out in Nevada. In the story dead bodies start turning up and it seems that the people were being killed because they were trying to expose pollution caused by fracking which is a method for extracting natural gas from shale beds deep underground.

I googled fracking and basically what it involves is as follows; they drill down into the earth. Next they line the borehole with concrete. Then they detonate explosives to crack the shale beds. Then they pump down a mixture of chemicals, water and sand at high pressure. After the water and chemicals seep away the sand keeps the cracks in the shale open so that the gas can be extracted.

There is an obvious issue concerning where all the chemicals go.

In the story people were dying of cancer and other illnesses. The tap water was so contaminated that when one of the CSI's put a lighter to it, it went on fire. I was putting this down to the overactive imagination of the writers of CSI until I stumbled on the following. If you live in the North west especially Leitrim or Sligo, you should definitely listen to this;

http://tnsradio.ning.com/video/fracking-for-gas-in-lough

(when you get to the end of the first segment, if you wait, part II appears)

The programme (Drivetime with Mary Wilson) which was aired on Radio 1 a few weeks ago confirms the health risks, the environmental efffects and even the fact that tap water in areas of the States wherre this has been done, has become flammable.

I can't believe that the Numpty's in Leinster House issued licences to company's to carry this out. Are they looking for another Bellanaboy?

What are other people's views on this?

I would ride myself cos im a sexy man · 15-07-2011 10:50pm

'Fracking' is a term that not everyone may be aware of. It is used to describe a method of shale gas extraction known as Hydraulic Fracturing. Unfortunately it is a term we are very likely to hear a lot more about in the coming months and years.

'Fracking' in the Lough Allen & Clare Basins
'Fracking' is a term that not everyone may be aware of. It is used to describe a method of shale gas extraction known as Hydraulic Fracturing. Unfortunately it is a term we are very likely to hear a lot more about in the coming months and years.

The dangers that this procedure poses to the environment, to water quality and to human safety is well documented worldwide. France has recently banned the use of fracking as have a number of regions in the United States. In Lancashire in England, fracking has been halted in recent weeks following a series of earthquakes that occurred and are believed to be linked to the recent exploration activity using this method in that region.

In the dying days of the Fianna Fáil led administration back in February of this year, one of their final acts was to award licences to a number of companies to explore for commercial gas in the Northwest Carboniferous Basin (more commonly known as the Lough Allen basin) and the Clare basin. The Lough Allen Basin is a huge area that covers parts of counties Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Tyrone. It covers an area of 8000 square kilometres in total. The Clare basin encompasses parts of Counties Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.

Awarding the licences the then Minister of Natural Resources Conor Lenihan awarded licences to two companies to begin exploration in the Lough Allen basin – Australian company Tamboran Resources and the Irish Lough Allen Natural Gas Company. Enegi Oil Plc was awarded the licence to begin exploration in the Clare Basin.

Last April when Lenihan first invited applications for licences to explore for natural gas in these areas, éirígí warned of the potential dangers that lay in store if this exploration and drilling was allowed proceed without meaningful consultation and the consent of communities effected.

Responding to Lenihan at the time Sligeach activist Gerry Casey said that “such exploration and extraction has the potential for grave environmental damage and danger to human health and safety. We have seen in north Mayo the conflict that can arise when such developments, with the potential risks involved, are imposed on local communities. Once again in these instances, there has been no proper in-depth consultation with local communities who may be effected by this prospecting and possible extraction of gas.”

He added: “If our natural resources are to be exploited, then it needs to be done in consultation with local communities, in a manner that protects the environment and protects peoples health and safety. To date, the record of the political establishment and of the exploration companies, as exemplified in the ongoing dispute over Shell's planned pipeline in north Mayo, on environmental and safety issues does not breed confidence.”

Claims by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources who now say that fracking would not be allowed in the Lough Allen basin without a public consultation phase and an environmental impact assessment should be treated with contempt.

Indeed, both companies involved in the Lough Allen basin exploration have already confirmed that fracking is their intended method to extract gas from this region. So much for consultation!

One need only look at the example of Shell's pipeline in north Mayo to see how the department deliberately ignored the dangers to human safety and the environment, ignored deliberate breaches of the law and environmental regulations by Shell and never held any meaningful consultation with the local community.

Instead, they ignored their legitimate concerns, tried to demonise and criminalise them and then sent the Gardai in to intimidate and beat them into submission when they realised they could not be duped or bought off.

The whole Corrib gas saga is proof of how environmental regulation in this state does not work and cannot be relied upon to protect citizens from large oil and gas companies whose only concern is profit.

As in the Corrib case, any gas extracted in the Lough Allen or Clare basins will be of no benefit to the public, the rightful owners of this natural gas. Once again the shareholders of private companies will benefit from this at our expense.

As the start of exploration in the region is imminent activist Gerry Casey said that the whole process needs to be stopped immediately.

He said: “There has been no consultation with the local communities effected and no consent given by them to this project. This whole process needs to be stopped immediately and the use of fracking banned before any damage can be done.”

“Genuine and in depth consultation must be held with the people in these regions. If the gas can be extracted safely without any threat to the environment and public health, then and only then, it should be extracted to benefit the people of the region and the island as a whole, not to boost profits for private companies.”

Casey added: “All our natural resources must be nationalised and extracted safely where possible. The vast wealth that could be generated would go a long way towards creating well resourced and efficient public services in areas such as Health and Education. It would provide long term funding to create sustainable long term employment and help to eradicate the scourge of fuel poverty and poverty in general.”

“If Fine Gael and Labour think that people will roll over and just accept the current situation they are sadly mistaken. If they insist on continuing this process they will meet fierce resistance, just as Shell and the government have faced for the past ten years in north Mayo.”

In recent weeks Cinema North West have been holding public showings of the award winning US documentary 'Gasland' which exposed the dangers of the fracking process throughout the US. Their next screening takes place next Thursday night (June 23) at 8PM in their mobile cinema beside the Coach House Hotel in Ballymote, Co Sligo.

Another article with more detail.

Frightening stuff....:eek:

Coles · 15-07-2011 11:36pm

The proposed scheme to abstract water from the River Shannon to supply water for Dublin's drinking supply would likely be jeopardised if this proceeds.

Likewise, if the water supply project proceeds it is likely that the Gas exploration wouldn't be viable because of the risk of contaminating Dublin's drinking supply.

It's interesting that while Conor Lenihan sneaked these licences through in the dying hours of the last Dáil, his aunt, Mary O'Rourke, has been trying to undermine the Shannon Drinking Water project with bullsh!t arguments.

"An Act of Vandalism", - Mary O'Rourke.

"Where the River Shannon flows and how it flows is an act of nature, and to attempt to distort that, which is what the taking of water would be, is an act of vandalism," said the Fianna Fail TD.

"Dublin is the capital city and Dublin must prosper, but so must the rest of Ireland. Dublin should not prosper to the detriment of places like Athlone and Limerick and Nenagh, which have every right to prosper, and they won't prosper if they are left literally high and dry."