Key issues unaddressed in Cassells' report - Murray
Published: 28 July, 2006
Responding to the report from Peter Cassells' on the Corrib Gas dispute,
Sinn Féin candidate Cllr. Gerry Murray, while
welcoming the vindication of the position taken by the Rossport Five in
regards to the route of the pipeline, believes key issues went unaddressed.
Cllr. Murray said: "The call to reroute the pipeline is a vindication
of the position of the Rossport Five and the Shell to Sea Campaign that
Shell's proposed pipeline was, as always maintained by the campaign, to be
an unsafe route. This is a vindication of the five men who spent over three
months in prison.
"But two key issues are unaddressed in the Cassells' report. Firstly, the
report seems to accept without question the position of Shell that it
cannot process the gas at sea, which is the central demand of the campaign.
Re-routing the pipeline, simply reroutes the problem.
"Secondly, there is still a complete failure to understand, right up to
government level, that the economic benefits for the Irish people from the
Corrib field are negligible. Bord Gáis have acknowledged there will be no
benefit for the bills of Irish gas consumers. Huge tax breaks unaccountably
granted by Minister Ray Burke mean that Irish natural resources have simply
been handed over to Shell, Statoil and Marathon. How does Minister Dempsey
think bringing the gas onshore in such circumstance will 'meet Ireland's
energy needs'?
"While there are some other positive indications in the report, including a
local investment fund and greater use of local labour, Sinn Féin's position
remains unchanged. The processing of the gas must be done at sea and the
Irish people must benefit from its exploitation."
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