Minister White's Christmas Message to the People of Mayo & the High Court

mayo | environment | opinion/analysis Wednesday December 30, 2015 23:09 by Shelver

White gives High Court the two-fingered salute

White uses Christmas to sign off on Corrib gas despite pending judicial review of EPA licence.

Minister White's Christmas message to the High Court & the people of Mayo

In an extraordinary, near clandestine decision in the middle of the Christmas holiday period, Alex White signed off on the final consent needed by Shell to operate the Corrib gas refinery at Ballinaboy.

This is despite the fact that proceedings are now before the High Court challenging the project's pollution licence. On 14 December 2015, Judge Richard Humphries granted, in its entirety, an application for Judicial Review of Shell's Corrib gas EPA licence to four Mayo residents.

Given the supposed separation of powers between the legislature, of which White is a member and the judiciary, represented in this instance by a decision of the High Court, it is difficult to think other than Alex White was so in thrall to Shell that he figuratively at least, had this to say to the High Court.