Aedín McLoughlin hands Submission to Hildegarde Naughten TD, chairperson of Oireachtas committee
GEAI submission to Oireachtas Committee.
GEAI has made a major submission to the Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Climate Action and Communications on the EPA-commissioned Unconventional Gas Exploration and Extraction (UGEE) Joint Research Programme. This Study had as its major research question: “Can UGEE be carried out while protecting the environment and human health?”
Conclusions do not reflect findings
We have discovered that the overall summary report did not reflect the findings of the five research reports, which more correctly should have highlighted that:
- UGEE (fracking) operations globally have major impacts on the environment and on human health, but as human health was not included in the Terms of Reference for the study, the impact of fracking on human health was not included in the study.
- There are several unknowns around the process of fracking globally and it is not possible to guarantee that hydraulic fracturing can be carried out without contamination of groundwater and air.
- The hydrogeological profile of the Northwest Carboniferous Basin (mainly Leitrim and Fermanagh) is heavily faulted with deep-seated aquifers and shallow shales, which makes it unsuitable for fracking.
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