May 9th, 2006:

MEMBERS of Mayo County Council have reiterated their support for the Rossport Five, while simultaneously stressing the need to avail of the opportunities that the Corrib gas field offers.

Welcoming the publication of the Advantica report on the safety of the proposed gas pipeline at Monday’s monthly meeting, An Cathaoirleach Henry Kenny said that he hopes the report will represent ‘a stepping stone for communication and exchange of ideas’. “If the situation is not solved it will be a very black mark on our interests in inviting investors into the county.”

Fine Gael’s Paddy McGuinness highlighted how Cllr Kenny had stood his ground on behalf of the Council during his dealings on the issue. “I welcome the response of Shell,” he added. “It must be recognised that they have apologised and held out the olive branch.”

Cllr McGuinness also welcomed the response of the Rossport Five to the publication, particularly in the form of Micheal Ó Seighin. “You might even say they have secured a victory, but their fears about health and safety are sincerely held. This party won’t be part of any stampede to discredit their sincerely held views.”

Cllr McGuinness urged Mayo County Council to continue to contribute to an atmosphere of respect, trust and goodwill.

Fianna Fáil’s Pat McHugh commented that the Advantica report on the safety of the €900m project should be taken in context with ‘the times we are living in’. “By this I mean the increasing cost of energy and dwindling supply. That equation must concentrate our minds. The issue must be resolved in the interests of all. The common good demands that it be resolved, we can’t continue to rely on imported energy. It is untenable.”

Emphasising the importance of not exacerbating the situation, Cllr McHugh also highlighted the number of personnel that Shell now have on the ground ‘who are sensitive to the situation, and who have an empathy with the local community’.

Fianna Fáil election candidate, Cllr Frank Chambers, described the gas as “a natural and national resource important to the welfare of the State, with opportunities for Irish people into the future.”

However, he stressed that people’s health and safety should come first, but also urged the Government to avail of the current opportunity to deliver investment into the county and into north Mayo in particular.

To coin a well-used phrase, ‘They haven’t gone away, you know.’ The phrase can be applied to any or all sides in the Corrib gas debate. All hands are still on deck, even if things are still a little hazy. The fog horn still sounds along the route of the Corrib gas project. Fog horns serve a positive purpose, there is hope on the horizon.

Advantica

Last Wednesday, almost four months after he received the final Advantica report, Minister Noel Dempsey released it. Of course the release was ‘managed’ – RTE received the first copy to allow them to ‘prepare’ for a television interview. They are the national broadcaster pleaded the Minister when the unfairness of it was pointed out to him. The rest of us received the report at 1pm and an interview with the Minister at 1.05pm. Speed reading comes with the job! It is just another example of the arrogance of power when dealing with people. The previous Friday certain politicians and quasi-politicians could advise journalists to ‘be ready’ for Tuesday or Wednesday. How is it that the chosen few (always) know what is about to happen?

Wednesday heralded the much-awaited Advantica report. No surprises. It lined up well alongside the draft report from last December. It was being sold by the Minister as a safety review, which it was not, it was a selective review. And, as expected, Shell will accept the findings.

Apologia

Then things started to run like an express train. Rather than spin out the reaction to the Advantica report, Shell ran away into new territory. It issued an apology. It put all the reports in the halfpenny place as the company’s Managing Director, Andy Pyle, admitted that Shell had made mistakes and apologised for the hurt caused to the men who were imprisoned for 94 days and their families. The apology was accepted, with hopes that progress would be next. Then Shell said, in a somewhat roundabout fashion, that all options were on the table. What has been known by many and acknowledged by a few (including some Shell personnel) emerged – Rossport is really out of the picture as a route for the upstream pipeline. The adjacent bay is an option as are other routes. With some reading between the lines the offshore option is on the table, albeit most unwillingly, and probably as a discussion tactic at best. This option has a choice between the deep water and shallow water option. The shallow water option would be a bonanza for Belmullet but too many people were too quick to accept the much-hated land-based option, as proposed at Bellanaboy. There is another land site on the west of Belmullet that would be more suitable from a (human) safety aspect but this was not properly examined as the Coillte site in Bellanaboy was the proverbial gift horse, or so it seemed at the time.

Vindication

Let’s go back! Advantica is a vindication of the stance taken by the Rossport Five, their families and supporters and by the opponents of the Bellanaboy site. They rejected this site and its associated routes as the best option for the terminal many years ago. What the Advantica report does is point out in black and white the serious inadequacies of Shell’s upstream pipeline proposal, along with the serious flaws attached to the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Rossport Five have done Erris, Mayo and the country a service that will never be recognised in the short term. Through their campaign they have ensured, not that the rules are re-written, but that they are written up in the first place. They have ensured that there are rules. Up to now it was a free for all for the oil and gas companies. Now responsibility for upstream pipelines rests with the Commission for Energy Regulation. This is major development. A reduction in the capacity of the Shell pipeline to a maximum of 144 bar is another major victory. Let the Shell apologists stop saying that the maximum pressure going through the pipeline is 120 bar. Let them check the Shell Environmental Impact Statement, if they find the correct one because there were so many.

The debt

And the quasi-politicos and all who are interested in ensuring that the west gets its fair share also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Rossport Five and their families. While there will be a queue to claim the place at the top table for ensuring that CER changed their criteria for providing a gas supply to towns along the gas grid, the reality is that it was the Rossport Five crisis that ensured that these regulations were changed. In effect, the Rossport Five campaign will ensure that Mayo towns receive gas, the flawed project as proposed is less flawed and responsibility for upstream pipelines will now be assumed by a statutory body. To think that no statutory body had responsibility for upstream pipelines before this makes a mockery of this whole project. It also highlights the serious inadequacies within a Department that is charged with encouraging exploration on the one hand and policing it on the other hand. It even raises questions about the role of the local authority, Mayo County Council, in such a project.

The Rossport Five campaign has been a success on all fronts. Their campaign was based on a ‘justice for all’ policy, not a ‘gains for a few’ policy.

Treading softly

There is an opportunity now for all sides to be honest with each other. The Shell to Sea campaign has wound up many local people because of the actions of a few people. This should not deter from the bigger picture which is about ensuring that the gas is brought ashore safely and that Mayo benefits. This is about a long term goal not a short term gain. An apology for wrongdoing also carries with it a duty for reparation. The Corrib gas project can be a win-win project. It is only such a pity that such pain, tears and aggression had to be experienced first.

SHELL E&P Ireland Ltd has been accused of sending out ‘mixed messages’ and ‘playing games’ with the people of Mayo, in the wake of last Wednesday’s publication of the Advantica report on the Corrib gas pipeline.

Following the positive reaction to comments made by Mr Andy Pyle on Thursday, when he appeared to suggest that an alternative route would be considered for the controversial pipeline, Shell’s Managing Director subsequently retreated from this position, describing the possibility of an alternative route as ‘speculation’ on Friday. Mr Pyle also appeared to rule out definitively the off-shore option pursued by Shell to Sea campaigners, during a media briefing on Friday, when he also indicated that the company would continue to pursue injunction hearings against anyone protesting against the location of the pipeline at Rossport.

“Shell seems to be playing games once again,” said Dr Jerry Cowley, TD yesterday. “They seem to be pulling back in a perverse way on the other options and orchestrating events. They owe an explanation to the people of Mayo.”

This sentiment has been echoed by Shell to Sea spokesperson Dr Mark Garavan who has described an apology by Andy Pyle for Shell’s part in the imprisonment of the Rossport Five as ‘a tactical decision’.

Dr Garavan has identified the mediation process between Shell and the five men as the most likely avenue for progress. “When you balance up what they’re actually doing with what they’re saying, you begin to see there are mixed messages from Shell,” he said.

“We’re at a point now where we have an opportunity to get this thing done right and in a way that everybody wins. Nothing has happened with the Corrib gas pipeline on shore, it’s easy to re-configure it.”

Speaking to The Mayo News on Monday, Shell spokesperson Susan Shannon agreed that mediation provides the most likely means of a breakthrough, particularly in light of ground rules laid out by Mr Peter Cassells.

“These state that all development concepts and all routes will be considered in the process,” explained Ms Shannon.

“We are willing to consider all concepts and all route options. Having said that the current route was selected for good reason, and from an environmental and safety point of view we still believe that it’s the best option. But we’re willing to consider all others, certainly if someone can show us a better one we are willing to consider that.”