Shell’s Efforts to Secure a Net at Glengad are Not Allowed.

mayo | environment | feature

Friday April 03, 2009 22:25

by Niall Harnett - Shell to Sea / Rossport Solidarity Camp

rossportsolidaritycamp at gmail dot com

Whose Law Is It Anyway?

When you see nets, you know there's something fishy going on

For the third time this week nets at Glengad have been put up by Shell and taken down by local residents. The purpose of the net is to stop sand-martins from nesting in the cliff-face.

What was once thought to be a specially protected priority habitat for birds and wildlife has actually, in effect, become a priority habitat for Shell.

All sorts of chats, communications and rumours abound about the permission for this and the consent for that, the legality of one thing and the illegality of another. But as Kevin Moore, An Bord Pleanala Senior Planning Inspector predicted in 2002, everything about this project is wrong. And it’s the right thing to do to disallow it and to stop it whatever the law says.

Related Links from Indymedia.ie:
Previous Indymedia feature: Scuffles At Mountjoy As Maura Harrington Is Jailed
Indymedia.ie stories about Shell in Mayo from the Indymedia.ie Archives
Other articles by Niall Harnett on Indymedia.ie

Related Links outside of Indymedia.ie
The website of Shell-to-Sea - CorribSOS.com
Feel like doing something? Contact all politicians about this - Contact.ie

Shell want to construct a ‘landfall’ installation at the Glengad Cliffs to secure an offshore pipeline that they have failed to construct for the past 4 years and more because of local resistance.

They have been facilitated all the way by the State who have no regard for the problems of social division, environmental destruction and economic treason associated with development of the Shell Corrib Gas Project.

Shell persist and have returned to Glengad with nets and security to further compromise this sensitive special area of conservation.

Nets were put across the cliff face at the start of this week and have been taken down for the third time today by local residents, openly and publicly, and once in the presence of Mr Denis Strong of the National Parks & Wildlife Service who is quoted as having said ... ‘Eh lads, I’d prefer if you’d take the nets down when I wasn’t around’, as he scarpered to avoid his responsibilities, whatever they are.

There’s a rumour that the National Parks & Wildlife Service have given their ‘approval’ for the net, which needs signing off by the Minister (of Environment I presume) to effect it. The rumour is that the minister has not signed off on it, if that is so. We have emailed the minister and made the appropriate phone calls to get the correct information on this, but have received no answer to our question as yet. Anyway, if a ‘Green’ minister is clearly in dereliction of his duty to protect this environment, and allow the predation of it by Shell, then it’s up to the citizens to take responsibility for the management of that.

The cliff was ‘reinstated’ after the Solitaire left Irish shores without managing to lay any pipe at all last year. See the ‘reinstatement’ in a previous article here - Shell to Sea Update from Erris & the 'Reinstating' of Glengad.

Of course ‘reinstatement’ of a cliff like this is impossible since it is impossible to replicate the natural formation of a cliff, especially with a few diggers dumping sand and rubble simply to tidy up their mess.

Whatever the arguments for and against leaving the ‘reinstated’ cliff face open, or not, for birds to nest; to stand back and allow Shell to persist in compromising the integrity of the area, after they caused the damage in the first place is not a position I’d be in favour of. When I saw the net come down for the first time, that ended any confusion for me anyway and I’m not alone in that. Maybe I’m for the birds myself if I’m naive in this but it’s not up to Shell to dictate where the birds can nest or not. I’d leave that decision with the sand-martins.

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Comments (12 of 12)

Old ideas for modern times

by LP

Sat Apr 11, 2009 14:21

"eTenders has been developed by the Department of Finance and is designed to help you find and publish tender notices on government and public sector procurement across Ireland."

It's official; Shell is now "...government and public sector...". People of Ireland, welcome to corporatism.

Shell becomes government company - official!!!!

by JohnODreams

Sat Apr 11, 2009 14:00

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/Search_View.aspx...ln=EN

This tender notice has recently gone live on etenders - which is supposedly the procurement website for government tenders. It would appear that Shell has now officially taken its place at the cabinet table.

Stay the course....Well done to everyone in Glengad and beyond - mind those nets, this notice shows what Shell is planning next....

Links

by His Grace, Sir Samuel Vimes, The Duke of Ankh

Tue Apr 07, 2009 21:31

http://www.poisonfire.org/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2009/jan/06...-veer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/200...geria

As well might you leave the fairies to plough your land or the idle winds to sow it, as sit down and wait for Shell to magically clear up their act and work in a positive manner. Shell only have one lust, money.

Caption: Video Id: bq2TBOHWFRc Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

Dysfunctional Wildlife Act and Legislation

by ian hester - Uisce Domhain -Water World Europe

Mon Apr 06, 2009 14:03

The core problem as to the lack of active active conservation here is that the Wilflife Act Amended2000 is rendered dysfunctional thus the PWS 'have no teeth' and this is demonstrated in the way there seems to no enforcement of the legislation in the protection of hedgerows and trees. As late as April this year hedgerows and trees all over the country (because of diggers bought for knockdown prices)are being felled - and as a source of fuel - a counter offensive by people who are not allowed to cut turf . Surley the law as such is an ass, and the only chance of getting this legislation UPDATED is through Michael D Higins of Labour who narrowly missed out on ramming it HOME when in power lasttime round. Perhpas if Gormley and Ryan banged heads they might get the proponents of active conservation management within the PWS to be secunded into the Dept of Agriculture -Teagasc who seem to operate on active conservation management within REPS ,with A LOT more 'teeth' than the PWS. How can you expect the PWS to have any influence here on the conservation MANAGEMENT of sandmartins when they cant fulfill their contract in the protection of hedgerows and bogs etc.
Put in Michael D Higgins to get them out. Again the fault lies not only with PWS but with Bord Pleanala who overruled the Inspectors report and gave planning permission which is in breach of European Law AND IN CONTRAVENTION of the EU EIA and Habitats Legislation.
slan
ian

Keep up the Good Work

by Arm-a-Gedden

Sat Apr 04, 2009 13:23

Well done to Niall & Co. at Glengad is it possible to slap a Court Injunction on Shell on the no permission?,

Cost of this if it is possible, well the old adage "they cant take blood from a stone"

Just a thought.

Well done all

by billy idle

Fri Apr 03, 2009 23:51

The fact that the 3 shell goons in the video couldn't put a coherent sentence together is response to a reasonable question says it all.

PS: The PWS should be ashamed for a blatant dereliction of duty. They are an embarrasment to all civil and public servants.

Green Party Canvassers

by LC97

Fri Apr 03, 2009 22:51

Well done to all involved in this; it's just another example of the litany of abuse by Shell in the pursuit of profit. Shame also on the Green Party for allowing this to continue, number one, and not answering your emails/phonecalls/letters - God help them when they come canvassing this summer.

Some more photos from today Friday.

by Local Resident

Fri Apr 03, 2009 15:27

Shell workers came back to put up the net and were obstructed by Shell to Sea folks who chose to keep their bums dry on the recently taken down net, which remains in the same spot. And then the net was taken down again. Gardai came and left leaving security to spout meaningless instructions to stay away, which were ignored.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service people are all in meetings or busy, and there's no response from the ministers.

Great stuff

by MacE

Fri Apr 03, 2009 14:41

Well done to all involved, fair play! Shell and Belcross seem to be on shaky ground legally, and not for the first time. Keep up the good work. Is Belcross a Mayo company?

grand example of corruption

by rose of tralee

Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:58

yes i agree the Erris people are a wonderful example of peaceful resistance protecting their homeland but the sad thing is the grand example of corruption, look the other way and treason that they are up against.

Down with the nets

by A McCabe

Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:50

God bless the Erris people for their courage to defend their homeland! You are in our thoughts and prayers always, and a grand example of peaceful resistance.

And again early this morning.

by Niall

Fri Apr 03, 2009 11:47

Shell have just returned to put the net back up again!!

They made some progress but backed off when people arrived down at the beach again in the last few minutes.

Shell Security cannot or will not account for why they have a net across the Glengad cliff, as youtube the clip below demonstrates.