Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government states, "We do not support the impartation of fracked gas" and "[W]e do not believe that it make(s) sense to develop LNG gas import terminals importing fracked gas". The Government received legal advice three years ago that fracked gas import could not be banned under EU law. The only way to stop fracked gas imports is by not building the LNG infrastructure to receive them.

The Government voted last Thursday to designate LNG as strategic infrastructure that could be fast-tracked to an coimisiún pleanála and not be subject to the normal planning process. This follows a High Court ruling two weeks ago that enables the Shannon LNG planning application to be resubmitted. Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly welcomed that ruling and said he hoped it will enable this project to move forward swiftly. Referencing the Planning and Development Bill, he said it is essential that projects like Shannon LNG, in other words, other LNG terminals, receive timely decisions. Is that the position of the Taoiseach and Government? Is the Government backing LNG and fracked gas imports while we are seeing the consequences of climate catastrophe unfolding in front of our eyes, most recently in the US, in particular in Florida?

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