Tuesday, 09 December 2008
THE Chairman of the Community Forum for Development in North West Mayo, Mr Joe Brosnan, engaged in contingency talks in the coming weeks with some community groups opposing the Corrib gas project.
A retired senior civil servant, Mr Brosnan was in Belmullet on Friday last with Ministers Eamon Ryan and Éamon Ó Cuív for the inaugural session, which was boycotted by a number of groups opposing the controversial project.
Community groups Pobal Chill Chomáin, Pobal le Chéile and Shell to Sea believe the terms of reference should include the relocation of the refinery at Bellanaboy and should prioritise community consent.
However, during informal engagements at the forum venue, Mr Brosnan asked the Chairman of local business group Pobal le Chéile, Mr Ciarán Ó Murchú, to outline to him a process which would be acceptable to his group – and Pobal Chill Chomáin – to ensure their future inclusion.
Mr Brosnan said there was not any ‘no-go’ area and that he was disappointed that all those invited had not attended the forum.
Meanwhile, a broad range of community groups and State agencies engaged with the one-day forum, initiated by the two Ministers on November 6 last, to address concerns about the Corrib gas project and overall economic development in the Erris region.
In attendance, Shell Ireland’s Managing Director, Mr Terry Nolan, said the company will work with the forum’s chairman and other participants ‘to leverage the development opportunities that will flow from Corrib’.
Speaking at the forum, Minister Ryan said: “Safety, environmental concerns and equitable dealings towards all will be my priorities throughout this process.”
He also observed that north west Mayo could become an energy hub and ‘has some of the best ocean and wind resources in the world’.
Addressing the forum, Minister Ó Cuív said: “We have to do all we can to maximise the local dividend of such a major project, so that we have the best outcome for Ireland, for Mayo and particularly for Erris.”
At a press briefing afterwards, he likened the potential of the initiative to Northern Ireland’s Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, but stressed that both Ministers had to act within legal constraints.
When asked about ongoing High Court legal challenges to original consents, Minister Ó Cuív said that any such rulings would also be adhered to.
Chairman of the Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association (EIFA), Mr Eddie Diver, who participated, said the forum should have happened years ago when it could have made a real difference.
“Our group resolved our issues with Shell during the summer over the disposal of pollutants at sea. We think the forum is constructive but the terms of reference are too narrow,” said Mr Diver.
Local Fianna Fáil councillor, Tim Quinn, also criticised the narrowness of the terms of reference. “The forum should be open to everyone and the terms of reference should include the issue of the location of the refinery. What’s the point of having dialogue when the whole agenda is constricted,” said Cllr Quinn.
Chief Supt Tony McNamara expressed his disappointment that opponents of the project had declined to engage with the project. He said it was the function of the Gardaí to maintain law and order and conceded that there had ‘obviously been significant policing issues’ relating to the project.
Chairman of Pobal Chill Chomáin, Vincent McGrath, said that all parties agree that the Erris region needs sustained economic development but that shouldn’t be confused with ‘the elephant in the room which is Corrib’.
Mr PJ Moran noted that ‘one good thing’ about the initiative was that ‘a finger could now be pointed at specific Government Ministers’ about ongoing problems.
“Next summer when they try to lay the pipeline and there are bodies all over Rossport, Éamon Ó Cuív and Eamon Ryan will have to take responsibility for it,” said PJ Moran of Pobal Chill Chomáin.
