Human Rights in Ireland

The exploitation of Ireland’s natural resources has given rise to some of our livelier posts of the past year. 2012 may see an ‘anti-fracking’ campaign in Clare join the Shell to Sea campaign on the battlefield over the state’s efforts to exploit natural resources in the West of Ireland. ‘Fracking’ is shorthand for a process known as ‘hydraulic fracturing’ that, in short, involves pumping high pressure fluids into the ground to fracture the underlying rock and make it easier to extract fossil fuels such as gas. Opposition groups include ‘What the Frack‘ in Ireland and ‘Frack Off‘ in the UK. Last Tuesday’s Irish Examiner carried a letter of opposition from the Centre for Environmental Living & Training, based in Scariff, County Clare and a report in today’s Irish Times suggests that the campaign against fracking in the Clare Basin will be stepped up in the new year.

‘Fracking’ has been the subject of controversy in the United States for several years. Concerns about the process have been documented in the US House of Representatives and, most vividly, by a 2010 documentary film ‘Gasland‘. The reported effects of the process include the release of hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens, into the water table; the causing of earth tremors; and the release of methane into the atmosphere – thus contributing to climate change and global warming. Despite the dangers to public health and the environment ‘tracking’ has, or at least had, friends in high places. The US Energy Policy Act 2005, championed by former President Bush and Vice-President Cheney, exempted the process from the requirements Safe Drinking Water Act 1974. This ‘Halliburton Loophole’ allows companies to engage in hydraulic fracturing without disclosing the chemicals used in the process. Legislation currently before Congress, the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness to Chemical Act, would close the Halliburton loophole. However, as fracking is being described by some lobbyists as part of the solution to the US’ energy problem the matter is not likely to be easily resolved.

Licenses to explore onshore drilling in Ireland were first granted by former junior Minister, Conor Lenihan, earlier this year. To date, three licenses have been granted and the matter is the subject of increasing attention in the Dail. Minister for Natural Resource, Pat Rabbitte TD has cautioned that “in the event hydraulic fracturing was proposed as part of a possible future exploration or production programme, then that activity would be subject to an environmental impact assessment, including an appropriate public consultation phase”. The campaign group Clare Fracking Concerned is nonetheless seeking a vote on fracking at the Clare County Council meeting on January 9th. While the Council does not have control over the issuing of licenses such a vote would likely help the current campaign gain momentum. Despite strong evidence pointing towards the dangers of the process the matter may remain divisive as the potential for investment tends to cause disputes within communities. As both protests and the policing of protest become matters of controversy, disputes such as these can ultimately involve not just government, but also the police and courts. In this way the battle for the environment and public health may also have implications for civil liberties in general.

Related Posts

• June 29, 2011 -- Today in Irish History: Jailing the Rossport Five. (0)
• April 7, 2011 -- Excitable Speech: Jerrie Ann Sullivan and Joking About Rape. (6)