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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended
that a revised emissions licence be awarded to Shell EP Ireland
for the Corrib gas terminal.
This will result in most waste chemicals being discharged
more than 80km off the Mayo coastline.
Objectors have been given until August 31st to respond to
the decision - which, if finally approved, will vindicate
the stance taken by inshore Erris fishermen on protection
of the Broadhaven Bay marine environment.
Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association chairman, Eddie Diver
said his members welcomed the agency’s ruling in relation
to the marine dimension.
“It’s what we wanted, but it took us a long time to get to
this stage,” Mr Diver said. “We will still be vigilant, as
mistakes do happen and we have asked the EPA to ensure constant
monitoring.”
A monitoring regime is one of a number of conditions attached
to the agency’s decision, which approves discharge of some
80 per cent of 'produced water' from the gas terminal,
containing chemicals including methanol, through an 'umbilical'
pipe to the wellhead 83km offshore.
The remaining 20 per cent will be removed from site by truck
for licensed disposal.
The umbilical is a subsea link which has yet to be laid and
which will control the wellfield infrastructure from onshore.
The company had originally planned to discharge treated water
from an outfall pipe 2km north of Erris Head into a 'diffuser'
12.7km offshore.
As part of its integrated pollution prevention control (IPPC)
licence review, the company has sought approval to increase
emissions of carbon dioxide, and 'negligible' increases
in emissions of nitrogen and carbon monoxide.
The preliminary decision comes after years of lobbying on
the issue by the inshore fishermen’s group, the main body
representing many of the 150 fishermen working off Erris.
The association made it clear to Shell that it would not facilitate
the laying of the gas project’s offshore pipe until the company
signed up to a legally binding agreement.
Under the legal agreement of August 2008, the company promised
to seek a change to its original IPPC licence from the EPA,
which had been awarded in late 2007.
The company pointed out at the time that the agency and “international
experts had confirmed that the treated produced water will
cause no harm to the marine environment”.
Fishermen were subsequently compensated for facilitated offshore
pipelaying.
However, the company didn’t apply for a revised IPPC licence
until six months after the offshore pipe was in place.
Several EIFA members, including father and son Pat and Jonathan
O’Donnell, refused to accept compensation due to their continued
health and safety concerns.
Shell E&P Ireland said last week that it had “no comment
to make at this stage” on the EPA determination as “the process
is ongoing”.
In a separate development, it is understood that a senior
engineer with the Department of the Environment met Shell
management last week to discuss a complaint lodged by community
group Pobal Chill Chomáin about aspects of the company’s current
survey work in Sruwaddacon estuary, a special area of conservation.
The group expressed concerns regarding the impact of excess
boat traffic on marine life such as dolphins and the environmental
impact of regular movement of two jack-up rigs.
The group also claimed that there was excessive security.
Shell said that it was “operating in accordance with the
conditions of the foreshore licence and it participated fully
in the review undertaken by the departmental engineer who
visited the works” last week.
Source - The Irish Times
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