Rossport Solidarity Camp - Shell To Sea Video

In Mayo Shell and Statoil, with the approval of the Irish government, are planning to: Take land from local residents and build a high pressure gas pipeline that will go past their houses: The pressure inside the pipeline will be up to four times greater than that of the biggest Bord Gais pipelines. The pipeline will be going through boggy land with a history of landslides. Construct a gas refinery on unstable bog: This construction will be using previously untried methods to stabilise the bog surface and involve a massive amount of traffic. Emissions from the refinery will affect the nearby Carrowmore Lake, source of the regional water supply. Pump toxic waste into Broadhaven Bay: A U.C.C. research team found that Broadhaven Bay was an important breading and rearing area for dolphins and whales. They recorded over 220 sightings of seven whale and dolphin species, plus sightings of two seal species, in Broadhaven Bay and north-west Mayo waters. The government is giving them our gas for practically nothing and then we will have to buy it back: From 1975 for oil and gas companies there was a tax rate of 50%, an automatic 50% state stake in any commercial well, and royalties of 6 %-- 7%. In 1987, after lobbying by the companies, Ray Burke got rid of the 50% state stake and removed royalties. In 1992 after further lobbying Bobby Molloy reduced the tax rate to 25% and 100% tax write offs were introduced, meaning that the companies can subtract their costs from their tax bill. In other places in Europe the state take can be 55% or even 79% of a field. Shell have been given permission by the High Court to start work on the on land parts of the pipeline in about a months time, construction is due to start on the landfall, where the off-shore pipeline hits the beach, on May 31st. Help the local people to stop Shell! Who Pays the Piper? On a side note this issue totally demonstrates the importance of the independence of Indymedia. Tony O'Reilly, owner of the Belfast Telegraph, the London and Dublin Independents, the Sunday Independent (Ireland), the Independent on Sunday (England), the Sunday World, The Star, The Evening Herald, some of the Sunday Tribune, various local weeklies including The Kerryman and the Drogheda Independent, as well as other media internationally, also owns Providence Resources. Providence Resources are an oil and gas exploration company with interests in potential fields off the south and west coasts of Ireland. There is the possibility that what is happening in Erris, Mayo, will only be the first instance of corporations cutting corners at the expense of the environment and local communities as they exploit the potential oil and gas reserves off the coast, particularly the west coast, of Ireland.

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: CptSternn

Length: 05:16
Rating: 4.31
Views: 4107

Tags: camp  company  five  government  ireland  mayo  oil  rights  rossport  shell  solidarity  

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