An anti fracking protest, organised by the Green Party of Leitrim, Sligo and Fermanagh, was held on the Belcoo Blacklion Border at the weekend.

Tanya Jones, a member of the Green Party who lives in Enniskillen and who has stood for election in the Northern Ireland assembly in the past, was at the protest.

“It was a successful protest. People from North and South together, cross Border and cross community and it was very good natured.

“Obviously in the Republic of Ireland fracking is banned but pollution knows no borders so it obviously effects people in the Republic too.

“And it is also obviously very concerning for people here in Fermanagh. It is their home,” she explained.

Last week a petroleum licence application, that could eventually lead to fracking in Fermanagh and which covers almost half the county, was received and deemed valid by the Department of the Economy.

A previous bid to explore the possibilities of fracking in Fermanagh was halted in 2014 but Ms. Jones explained that she suspected that an application would come again

“I knew it could happen again but it was still a great shock when it came through about the licence last week. But fracking cannot be safe.

“There is now even more evidence than before about its dangers. It damages the environment, it damages people’s health, it damages the health of animals and it is completely unnecessary,” she said before adding that she sees a great determination among the community to prevent any exploration or fracking to occur.

She added: “I think people in Fermanagh are very determined not to have fracking here. They are concerned for their children’s future, concerned for their health and I think they will continue to give a very strong clear message of opposition.”

Ms. Jones is concerned however that the current political vacuum leads to a lack of accountability in the entire process.

“There is a real worry because there is no Stormont. Not only are there no ministers in place but there is no functioning assembly which means questions cannot be asked and people cannot be held to account.

“There are no executive committees to hold people to account and I think that issues such as this should motivate the two main parties to get Stormont back up and running.”

Meanwhile, a week into the Department for the Economy’s Consultation, Karl Prenderville, Chief Executive of Tamboran Resources (UK) Limited (TRUK) has said that he is encouraged by the early response the company has received in respect of its application for a Petroleum Licence.

“A week into the consultation we are pleased with the response we have had thus far.

“We have already engaged with a range of people; some of whom are interested in potential job opportunities, some who want to learn more about the actual process involved and others looking for clarification around what our plans are”, he said.

The Chief Executive concluded by saying: “We have been clear that if awarded, no fracturing could take place for at least four or five years and not until we can prove that natural gas can be extracted in a commercially viable, safe and environmentally friendly way.