Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for the welcome back to my alma mater; we had many a good debate over a five-year period. It brings back nice memories indeed. I also thank the Senator for raising this matter. While I have outlined the Government's position on the issue of hydraulic fracturing on a number of occasions in Dáil Éireann, this is my first opportunity to discuss the matter in the Upper House.
Three onshore licensing options were granted in the term of the previous Government for the two-year period from 1 March 2011 to 28 February 2013, over parts of the north west carboniferous Lough Allen Basin and the Clare Basin. The licensing options were granted to Tamboran Resources, covering parts of Counties Cavan, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo; Lough Allen Natural Gas Company Limited, covering parts of Counties Cavan, Leitrim, north Roscommon and east Sligo; and Energi Oil plc, covering part of County Clare.
The licensing options awarded were preliminary authorisations designed to allow the companies assess the shale gas potential of the acreage largely based on desktop studies of existing data. Exploration drilling, including drilling that would involve hydraulic fracturing was not permitted under these licensing options. The licensing options gave the holder the first right, exercisable at any time during the period of the licensing option, to apply for the grant of an exploration licence over all or part of the area covered by the licensing option. Tamboran Resources and Energi Oil plc have exercised that right and have submitted applications for follow-on exploration licences.
Successive Ministers and Ministers of State at the Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources, including me, have confirmed that no decision will be made on these applications pending the outcome of the Environmental Protection Agency's research programme into the use of hydraulic fracturing. The key questions that the EPA research programme, which is to be carried out over a minimum of two years, needs to answer are as follows. Can unconventional gas exploration and extraction projects, and operations be carried out in the island of Ireland while also protecting the environment and human health? What is the best environmental practice for such projects and operations?
The research will consider baseline characterisation with regard to water, seismic and air quality, potential impacts and mitigations and best practice regulatory frameworks. Detailed information on the regulatory approaches of other countries that have extensive experience with this activity will also be considered. The research programme is also expected to consider a minimum of five countries including at least one country where a moratorium on unconventional gas exploration has been introduced.
Any application proposing the use of this technology would be subject to the existing statutory framework which includes environmental impact assessment. Such an assessment entails consideration of the potential impacts of a project on population, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors, material assets, including the architectural and archaeological heritage, landscape and the inter-relationship between these factors. It is not considered feasible to conduct such an assessment in Ireland until the EPA research programme has concluded and there has been time to consider its findings.