channel 4 news 7pm: Mayo Corrib gas field & protests

by deet Tue Nov 26, 2002 16:30

a prime opprotunity for Irish activists to temporarily drop the theories, discussion, diagnosis and criticisms of evil multinationals and actually take some action!

by Blisset Tue Nov 26, 2002 16:50

Link leads to FOE site but nothing about Gas Fields Shell etc

by Ernie Lynch Tue Nov 26, 2002 17:02

Go to FOIE site> Go to archieves> Mayo Gas Pipeline coverage n' yer there.

by FOE Galway Tue Nov 26, 2002 17:53

The piping of gas from the Corrib Field off Mayo to landfall points either in Galway Bay of the Clare coast is seriously under question.

Enterprise Energy Ireland is the operator of the consortium of multinational companies involved in the Corrib Field exploitation. Enterprise Energy Ireland is now owned by Royal Dutch Shell. Permission was granted for the terminal in August 2001. The case is ongoing and a second oral hearing is taking place this week in Belmullet. Yesterday, it was attended by Dr Owens Wiwa, brother of Ken Saro Wiwa.

Maura Harrington (friend of Friends of the Earth Galway), an Erris local who has been active in fighting the North Mayo gas pipeline and terminal will come and speak at the Galway One World Centre on Friday December 6 at 7pm. Maura sees a correlation between the Ogoni people of Nigeria and the 'Bogoni' people of Erris in north Mayo. She was the local organiser of the 4th Ken Saro-Wiwa Memorial Seminar in June. Her determination was shown when she sat on top of the digger at Pollotomish beach for 24 hours.

The findings of the investigation by Channel 4 news will be screened tonight on the 7pm news. Today’s Irish Indo sates that 'it will say that Enterprise Energy Irelands plan for the controversial pipeline and inland terminal and the deal sanctioned by the government are unprecedented in Europe'.

SOME BACKGROUND
The Corrib gas field is located 35 miles off the coast of Erris, Co. Mayo. It offers the cheapest shareholder option for Enterprise Energy Ireland (now owned by Royal Dutch Shell -takeover July 2002), to use it as a gas refinery/terminal. Enterprise Energy Ireland have attempted to 'spin' that this is a 'world class facility'. (Corrib Gas Exploitation: the real story by Maura Harrington).

EEI bought a 407 acre site from Coillte (Coillte falls within the remit of the Department of Marine and Natural Resources). The site is at present partially wooded bog land (10-15 ft deep). The footprint of the terminal needs 40 acres and 20 acres of ancillary space. To clear to bedrock this means digging up 600,000m3 of bog and subsoil and spreading it over an area of 96 acres nearby. This means translocating 2 million tonnes of liquid bog on a site that inclines on one side towards the Natura 200 Carrowmore Lake and, on the other side towards Broadhaven Bay, an SAC (Special Area of Conservation), and Srath Fada Conn, an SPA (Special Protection Area).

On August 3rd 2001 Mayo County Council granted permission for the processing terminal. Local objectors, backed by groups such as Friends of the Irish Environment, An Taisce, the Erris inshore Fisherman's Association appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála. That decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála and the decision was deferred until November, seeking further information from the developer. The oral hearing will probably continue until Friday. Royal Dutch Shell has made it clear that the failure to secure planning would lead to a reconsideration of the whole project.

by Terry Tue Nov 26, 2002 18:50

Courtsey of Ray Burke, Bobby Molloy, Michael Lowry and others,
we will be getting hardly any royalties or taxes from this new
gas field, despite the fact that it actually really belongs to the
Irish people.

See 'The Great Oil and Gas rip-off' at http://www.irlnet.com/aprn/archive/2002/March14/14grea.html

It's kind of like the way the EU has made over 100 billion pounds from our
fisheries since 1973 and have now driven it to the point of collapse, while
in return we recevied about 40 billion or so in return from the EU.

by wireless listener Wed Nov 27, 2002 12:19

Sean O'Donoghue, Chief Executive of the Killybegs Fishermen's
Organisation,
comments on the issue from Brussels
28k - http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/1127/morningireland/morningireland1a.ram

Tom MacSweeney, Marine Correspondent, reports on the talks
28k - http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/1127/morningireland/morningireland1b.ram

by wireless listener Wed Nov 27, 2002 12:21

11.Call for disclosure of details on Shell's Corrib Field deal
----------------------------------------------------------------

Eamon Ryan, Green Party spokesperson on the Marine & Natural
Resources,
discusses the issue
28k - http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/1127/morningireland/morningireland11a.ram

by Ernie Lynch Wed Nov 27, 2002 13:06

Video and transcript of last nights report on C4

by ordinary man Wed Nov 27, 2002 23:40

It seems the real anti globalisation work is being done by ordinary residents in Erris who are bravely standing up to the dirty Shell corporation. So much for all your globalise resistance yuppies who just love tripping off to florence or Genoa and what are all the ecotopia heads doing about Shell's dirty work? Well done to Channell 4 for an excellent piece of reportage and some brilliant photography also, they have once again put the rte journos to shame. The reporter who asked Frank Fahey straight out if he or his party had recieved donations from Shell was excellent, the scumbag former minister who let Shell get their hands on the priceless gas resourses without any royalties!(at least to the state) clearly was not used to this type of questioning from a tame rte reporter.
p.s dont forget to pay rte its extra 40 % on the licence increase