The High Court has jailed five people at the request of Shell for attempting to stop the multinational from laying a controversial, high-pressure, “offshore” gas pipeline through their land in Rossport, Co Mayo. The judge ordered that the five men – four small landowners and a local supporter – be imprisoned “until they purge their contempt”, meaning they will not be released until they have promised to allow Shell to dig up their land.[indymedia.ie Editorial]
statement by joe higgins TD (socialist party)
The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Mr. Noel Dempsey must intervene immediately to resolve the impasse that has arisen in relation to the Corrib Gas pipeline with the jailing of five small landholders and local residents.
The High Court today stood logic on its head when it imprisoned the five residents at the behest of Shell. Incredibly, the consent form to allow Shell to carry on its pipe-laying in north Mayo has not been signed by Minister Dempsey. In fact, the qualified risk assessment, which examines the health and safety risks of the pipeline, has only been received by the Minister. According to his Department today that must now be put into the public domain and the question of signing will arise at a later stage.
Furthermore, the High Court has decided that a substantial hearing of the issues between the residents and Shell will be heard in the autumn. But in the meantime, the High Court is allowing Shell to carry out the major disruption of laying the pipes, even if the Court itself later decided that they could not be used for the supply of the raw gas. However, five residents are in prison for simply asking that everything be put on hold until the substantial issues are resolved in October and until the discussion happens on the risk assessment.
Minister Dempsey should now intervene to require Shell to withdraw from attempting to conduct any work on the disputed pipeline until all the crucial issues are resolved. This is the logical course of action. It is intolerable that decent, law- abiding people from Co. Mayo should be the victims of bullying by a major multinational for whom it appears the political and judicial establishment cannot do enough.
This issue raises again the incredible situation whereby the fabulous gas wealth off the coast of Co. Mayo has been given by the Government to Shell for not a penny in royalties to the Irish people and with huge tax write offs against the cost of exploiting it. The alternative is that the gas would be treated and purified in a completely different way to the present proposals by Shell. The fact is that the intense pressure of raw gas mixed with condensate oil and water, which is proposed to be brought through the disputed pipeline, is unprecedented by world standards and gives rise to potential unprecedented risks for the local community. To have residents exposed to this kind of pressure to facilitate a multinational corporation is intolerable.