Fermanagh Council must ban fracking says Doherty

Published 25 Oct 2012 11:00 2 Comments

SINN Fein Councillor Barry Doherty wants Fermanagh District Council to seek an "outright ban" on fracking.

The Erne West politician, who wants the council to progress on from its current position of calling for a moratorium on the controversial practice, says he has seen nothing from Tamboran, the company behind proposals to drill for shale gas in parts of Fermanagh, that makes him think it is suitable for the county.

"They have promised chemical free practices untried anywhere in the world and expect us to take them at their word that no harm to our environment will result from their actions. Like thousands of people the world over, especially those living with fracking on their doorsteps, I cannot and will not take them at their word; the weight of evidence suggests to do so would be irresponsible."

Mr Doherty says the council have had limited contact with Tamboran and have adopted a position that "if Tamboran need to talk to the council they will talk to us all".

"The latest correspondence we have received states that Tamboran have no intention of drilling or extracting until at least late 2014. There are many things the company needs to do before this can happen and it is vital that we as responsible representatives use this time to lobby hard for an outright ban on this process.

"We in Sinn Fein will continue to lobby at the Assembly and in Dail Eireann to ensure that those in opposition to this practice will have a loud and effective voice," he added.

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• 

  SaintPatrick
  33 posts
  Oct 25, 12:04
  Report comment

  Bit light on the science, all of this, isn't it? Oooh it sounds nasty, something to do with big mining companies, from Forrin, coming in and doing naughty things under our beloved Garrison. Down with that sort of thing.
  
  Why doesn't Mr Doherty tell us what he has read that makes him think it's such a bad idea? Or has he just watched the youtube clip of the tap on fire and decided to go with the emotional response?
  
  Fracking offers the young people of Erne West some propects through investment in the area. That's the upside. There may well be severe environmental downsides so let's hear what the science tells us so we can make up our own minds.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 6     No 2

• 

  geralyn
  11 posts
  Oct 30, 13:37
  Report comment

  If you want some light reading SaintPatrick, a little bit of science-from Europe, America or Australia, here you go. Enjoy!
  
  from Europe
  
  ‘Shale gas: a provisional assessment of climate change and environmental impacts’ published by The Tyndall Centre
  
  http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/publications/technical-report/2011/shale-gas-provisional-assessment-climate-change-and-environmental
  
  EU document – ‘ Impacts of shale gas and shale oil extraction on the environment and on human health’
  
  http://europeecologie.eu/IMG/pdf/shale-gas-pe-464-425-final.pdf
  
  preese hall seismic report
  
  (http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/oil-gas/5055-preese-hall-shale-gas-fracturing-review-and-recomm.pdf)
  
  Preese hall, flow back water analysis
  
  Flow_back_water_analysis_011111.pdf
  
  http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Business/Flow_back_water_analysis_011111.pdf
  
  Three EU reports on risk Sept 2012
  
  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/energy/unconventional_en.htm#news
  
  EU report, AEA, support to the identification of potential risks for the environment and human health arising from hydrocarbons operations involving hydraulic fracturing in Europe. Sept 12
  
  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/energy/pdf/fracking%20study.pdfnvironment/integration/energy/pdf/fracking%20study.pdf
  
  friends of the earth, case against shale gas
  
  http://www.foeeurope.org/sites/default/files/publications/foee_shale_gas_unconventional_and_unwanted_0.pdf
  
  Independent German Report on hydrofracking risk
  
  http://dialog-erdgasundfrac.de/sites/dialog-erdgasundfrac.de/files/Ex_HydrofrackingRiskAssessment_120611.pdf
  
  from America
  
  Impacts of Gas Drilling on Human and Animal Health. Bamberger/Oswald
  
  http://ia700801.us.archive.org/1/items/ImpactsOfGasDrillingOnHumanAndAnimalHealth/Bamberger_Oswald_NS22_in_press.pdf
  
  Report on the serious health effects of gas drilling, hydraulic
  
  fracturing and production on Texans throughout the Barnett Shale
  
  http://www.earthworksaction.org/files/publications/FLOWBACK-TXOGAP-HealthReport-lowres.pdf
  
  Gas harms unborn babies
  
  http://dyson.cornell.edu/research/researchpdf/wp/2012/Cornell-Dyson-wp1212.pdf
  
  
  
  Radioactive waste ( american epa)
  
  http://www.epa.gov/radiation/tenorm/oilandgas.html
  
  SILICA , NIOSH
  
  http://www.osha.gov/dts/hazardalerts/hydraulic_frac_hazard_alert.html
  
  
  
  fracking wastewater, full report
  
  http://www.nrdc.org/energy/files/Fracking-Wastewater-FullReport.pdf
  
  health risks for oil and gas workers
  
  http://www.oilgasmonitor.com/essential-health-safety-considerations-oil-natural-gas-hydrofracking-operators/1541/
  
  
  
  hydrogen sulphide toxicity, safety factsheet.
  
  http://www.safetydirectory.com/hazardous_substances/hydrogen_sulfide/fact_sheet.htm
  
  garfield county 2008
  
  http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/Garfield_County_HC_3-13-08/Garfield_County_HC_3-13-08.pdf
  
  Dish Texas 2010 results
  
  http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/epitox/consults/dish_ei_2010.pdf
  
  Dish Texas survey, Wilma Subra
  
  http://app.owni.fr/gaz/files/DishTXHealthSurvey_FINAL_hi.pdf
  
  environmental health perspectives , charles schmidt
  
  http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info:doi/10.1289/ehp.119-a348
  
  oil and gas, united states government accountibility office, sept 2012
  
  http://www.gao.gov/assets/650/647791.pdf
  
  Wilma Subra, gas patch roulette Oct 2012
  
  http://www.earthworksaction.org/files/publications/Health-Report-Full-FINAL-sm.pdf
  
  Theo Colburn, coalbed methane, 2BE
  
  http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/files/cP02591Colborn20021022coalbedmethane2-BEcommments.pdf
  
  Written testimony of Theo Colborn, PhD, President of TEDX, Paonia, Colorado before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  
  http://s3.amazonaws.com/propublica/assets/natural_gas/colburn_testimony_071025.pdf
  
  New York times series of articles on natural gas
  
  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/DRILLING_DOWN_SERIES.html
  
  
  
  New York times on radioactive waste
  
  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/27gas.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=water+quality+monitoring+station+radioactive&st=nyt
  
  testimony of Lisa McKenzie
  
  http://democrats.naturalresources.house.gov/sites/democrats.naturalresources.house.gov/files/2012-05-02_McKenzieTestimony.pdf
  
  from Australia
  
  australian national toxic networks report
  
  http://ntn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/NTN-CSG-Report-Sep-2011.pdf
  
  doctors for the environment australia submission june 2011
  
  http://actiononcoalandgas.org/docs/Doctors%20for%20the%20Environment%20Australia_CSG_Senate_submission_June_2011.pdf
  
  
  
  australian article Dr Marion Carey
  
  http://dea.org.au/images/general/viewpoint_issue_8_CSG.pdf
  
  
  
  DEA annual report 2012
  
  http://dea.org.au/images/general/DEA_Annual_Report_-_2012.pdf
  
  Recommend?   Yes 2     No 0

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