Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government will have to withdraw these amendments. It is proposing significant new amendments here relating to fossil fuel infrastructure. We strongly oppose the rushed introduction of amendments relating to LNG and they should be removed. The Government amendments provide for an LNG terminal to be designated as strategic infrastructure, potentially allowing for the normal planning process to be circumvented. If approved and applied, the provisions may also allow for LNG development to be fast-tracked and for normal environmental assessment rules to be dropped. The amendments run roughshod over the Government's own climate commitments in its November 2023 energy security package.

As Senator Higgins said, the Government is giving priority to liquified natural gas and fracked gas as strategic infrastructure. Friends of the Earth has called on the Government to immediately withdraw the proposed group of amendments relating to polluting LNG. It has said that the Government is seeking now to legislate for fast-track planning of LNG while failing to legislate for key climate conditions and gas infrastructure outlined in its own energy security review. This goes against what the Minister, Deputy Ryan, said at the environment committee last Thursday. I call on the Government to withdraw these amendments. As Senator Higgins said, it is a gift to the fossil fuel industry and its lobbyists.