Dempsey grants consent for Corrib Offshore Pipeline
mayo |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Tuesday August 02, 2005 18:12
by M. Ní Sheighin
It has been announced that Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has granted consent for work to begin on the offshore section of the Corrib Gas pipeline.
www.rte.ie/news just now:
"Dempsey permits work on offshore pipeline
02 August 2005 17:06
Shell Ireland has been given persmission to begin work on a 75km offshore pipeline as part of its plan to develop the Corrib gasfield.
The decision by the Minister for Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, has been welcomed by the company.
But opponents of the project say they are disappointed that permission for the pipeline was granted before an independent safety review is completed.
Last week, Shell acknowledged that a technical breach may have occurred on the controversial Corrib pipeline.
Shell has announced the laying off of some staff arising from protests by residents.
Five landowners remain in jail for refusing to purge their contempt of a High Court order in connection with their protest against the pipeline construction."
How ridiculous is this? Why is he asking them to dismantle the onshore section of the pipeline, pending a review of the Quantitative Risk Assessment, while allowing them to begin work on the offshore section? Does he take the Irish public for fools? The contempt of the executive for ordinary Irish people is evident again.
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9piecemeal planning permission and deception
probably thinking along these lines...
Govt allows Shell, Statoil & Co to build the offshore pipe right up to the coast at the original, untested, high pressure specifications...
Then when it comes to the onshore pipe, declare that there is no alternative, as the offshore pipe is already built at great expense and to change anything now would be unfair to the poor unfortunate oil companies...
In this manner, the Minister is nothing but a front man for the tricks of these gangsters...
Thankfully, he lacks the authority to hang the Rossport Five, the way the Nigeria Nine were dealt with in 1995.
The west's awake, and aware of your tricks mister Dempsey!
If he'd added "..for shell" the statement would have been accurate. As it is it is a blatant piece of disinformation that appears to becoming the government line.
A recent RTE TV news item on the upcoming 25% increase in price of gas for home use in Ireland implied a number of times that the Corrib Field coming on stream would have a downward effect on this.
Pure propaganda as it will be sold at market rate to irish customers by the consortium. The same propagandaistic news broadcast implied forcefully that the price of oil/gas would drop in the longer term. This is absolute disinformation.
"The Minister for the Marine has given the go-ahead for the offshore section of the controversial Corrib gas pipeline.
Mr Dempsey said his consent is "independent and entirely separate" from his position regarding the onshore section of the pipeline.
.....
Mr Dempsey said the project was strategically important for Ireland in terms of enhancing security of gas supply. "In its peak years, the output from the field will reduce Ireland's dependence on imported gas by in excess of 50 per cent," he said.
"This is the second-largest inward investment project into Ireland, estimated investment of almost €1 billion. The project will also be a significant employer of up to 500 people during the construction phase and 50 permanent jobs when in production," Mr Dempsey said.
If the Government was really representing the public interest then it would ask Shell to hold back on any further work on the project - off-shore as well as onshore - until all the safety issues are properly addressed
Green Party energy spokesman Eamon Ryan
At the weekend, Mr Dempsey ordered Shell E&P Ireland to dismantle the pipeline section that it had welded together onshore in north Mayo.
Just under three kilometres of pipeline had been welded without ministerial approval, and the Minister told the company it must be taken apart. He also told Shell it will be subject to closer monitoring by his new ministerial technical group as a result of the breach.
Shell is seeking advice following the Minister's order.
Mr Dempsey said the consent granted today was subject to a number of conditions, including compliance with all regulatory approvals applicable to this part (phase four) of the process.
"The consent is also given subject to the understandings in relation to the legal and regulatory obligations of the Corrib developers, set out in the Minister's letter to Shell, dated 31 July 2005. The Phase 4 consent also contains specific conditions in relation to a new regime of inspection and monitoring by the Minister's authorised officers," a statement said.
According to Mr Dempsey, this is the first time that specific mention of the new inspection regime has been made in an individual consent, although it is provided for under legislation."
Shell have managed to take this project and split it into many parts which is illegal under EU law.
Splitting the project allows them to get parts of it thru while they try to squeeze thru other parts
Shell have sold 60% of their gas to France and I have heard no mention of obligations by Statoil or Marathon to sell gas to Ireland.
Bord Gais are spending 150 to 200 million on a pipe that gets the gas from Mayo to Galway. But that doesnt mean that Galway are guaranteed a supply of gas.
Does anyone know of any deals made with customers?
Shell demands,minister obeys
Heard this yesterday and was severely shocked. I thought some people were begginning to see sense on this issue.
I heard also that the pipeline will cut straight through areas of potential archaeological interest thanks to Spanish Armada finds. Is there any way of contesting things on that front?
Otherwise I hope that the fleet of ships between Galway & Donegal I've heard mention of can successfully blockade bany progress on the Sloitaire's front.
Stevo
I just saw a Dublin Taxi with hand drawn signs on
the side and back windows saying
'BOYCOTT SHELL - Free the Rossport Five!!'
Wake up Shell! The boycott is spreading and worse yet - a Taxi driver isn't buying your products!
Dublin may be slow and boring in the Summer, but the boycott is still on.
Yes the boycott is spreading.
Picket,Blockade,Tag,Poster,Sticker,Write,Phone,Fundraise,Mobilize!
The campaign is due to escalate in the near future as Dempsey tries to slip the issue past the Iirsh people-dont let him succeed!
Every organisations have them. Multi National Oil /Gas Companies are past masters at sussing them out. The Irish Public did not know who they were until the Tribunals uncovered their shady dealings in other areas. Multi-National Oil/Gas companies can be price Bullies; this 'attribrute' married with the best interpretation of the law that money can buy, makes them a formidable foe. The Irish Government appears helpless to defend the rights to unencumbered use of ones own home without the imposition of a potential hazardous gas pipeline for some of their citizens. Four years going through the Irish Planning System and we end up with this mess. Who is pulling the strings? the ones that benefit economically , off course! Isn't it the weak link of the economic argument that always wins out in this society of ours? A weak link here is that the law is not upholding the right to equality of treatment for the Rossport Five. A previous comment on this page mentioned that the Shell splitting of the Corrib Gas project is against EU law. Maybe, this is the way to go. Bring the protest to Europe. It is about time that the EU concerned itself with what is happening to its citizens at ground level. But, beware of further weak links! At this stage, it might be wise to take the heavy armour out i.e the rosary (remember Fr Peyton, another Mayoman," the family that pray together stay together"), and pray that the perceived weak link on the protest side being got at by the Government and Shell proves to be as sold as a rock!
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