Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins has called on the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Ahern, to halt pipe excavation work being carried out by Shell Oil on Glengad beach in north Mayo, writes Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent
The work on the beach, which is the onshore point of contact for the offshore pipeline from the Corrib gas field, is "in breach of the spirit of An Bord Pleanála's decision of June 21st" on the project, Mr Higgins has said.
In that decision, the planning appeals board requested Enterprise Energy Ireland, now owned by Shell, to provide more information on its proposed terminal at Bellanaboy Bridge.
In a letter which was highly critical of key aspects of the terminal, An Bord Pleanála also asked the company to consider alternative sites for processing the gas from the Corrib field off the Mayo coast.
The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources said the exploration company was complying with all permissions granted under the foreshore act and planning permission for the terminal was a separate matter.
Both An Bord Pleanála and Mayo County Council said yesterday that the work being carried out at Glengad was outside their remit.
The exploration company confirmed yesterday that the work on the start of the upstream pipe at Glengad was being carried out under the terms of its foreshore licence, which was granted by Mr Ahern's predecessor, Mr Frank Fahey.
"It is modest work which was started before the appeals board decision, and it was more appropriate to finish it," a Shell spokesman said.
However, the company has postponed work on the offshore pipeline, pending a detailed review of the project.
Shell would respond in full to An Bord Pleanála's request on the planning application and it still believed Bellanaboy to be the most suitable site for the onshore terminal, the spokesman added.
Mr Joe Higgins said that a massive tonnage of rock, silt and beach materials was being dumped offshore during this work, causing great risk to the ecological balance in the area.
"The huge disturbance being carried out at Glengad is on the presumption that there will be no change to the original plan," he said.
"Such is the latitude given by the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrat Government to this gas exploration operation that Shell apparently feels it can treat the local people and their environment with contempt," Mr Higgins added.
Dr Jerry Cowley, Independent TD for Mayo, echoed Mr Higgins's views and said that this was symptomatic of the arrogant attitude displayed by such companies, whose only motivation was profit.
"This doesn't bolster confidence in the company, if this is what they can do even before they have planning permission for the terminal," Dr Cowley said.