Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications

Hydraulic Fracturing: Discussion

11:30 am

Photo of John O'MahonyJohn O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Mooney has, more or less, covered what I was going to ask. Could any guarantees be given by any regulatory authority to in any way influence the views put to us by the delegation? Is there any technology that could be used in future that would change the view on how gas could be extracted with no damage to the environment? I may play the devil's advocate but the views of communities should be uppermost in any decision taken. On the one hand the witnesses have given very definitive facts; if people had not heard of fracking until the presentation this morning, the immediate influence would be that we should not touch it. Nevertheless, it was indicated that it is too early to decide on this because the technology is only several years old and we are unsure of the effects. Is there a slight contradiction in the definitive facts given with regard to health issues and on the other hand the contention that it is too early to know long-term effects?

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