Green Party legacy in Government at grave risk over moves that facilitate LNG

Greens must keep their promise to “stand firmly” against fracking imports by:

• ensuring the LNG moratorium is immediately reinstated
• the Planning Bill is stripped of pro-LNG clauses and
• a new risk assessment of gas imports is commissioned 

Friends of the Earth has said the Green Party’s legacy in Government is at grave risk over developments that facilitate the importation of fracked gas to Ireland. Last week, the High Court dismissed a Government moratorium on liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and ordered An Bord Pleanala to reconsider Shannon LNG’s plan to build an import terminal in Kerry. This coming week, when the Planning Bill returns to the Dáil for the final time, the Government is proposing Seanad amendments that designate floating LNG as strategic. Together this is a stark contradiction of Government policy that Ireland should not allow commercial LNG and Minister Ryan’s public doubts over whether state-controlled LNG makes any sense as an emergency gas reserve. 

Friends of the Earth today called on the Greens to keep the promise in their 2020 manifesto to “stand firmly” against the importation of fracked gas and to ensure that Government policy agreed since is implemented robustly. That includes opposing fracked gas imports, upholding the moratorium on all LNG infrastructure agreed by Government in 2021, and implementing the permanent ban on commercial LNG agreed last November. Friends of the Earth has requested an urgent meeting with Minister Ryan and is hopeful that will be arranged in week ahead.

Commenting, Friends of the Earth chief executive Oisín Coghlan, said:

“Minister Ryan’s credibility is now on the line as is his party’s legacy in Government. Between Shannon LNG’s High Court victory and the Government’s last-minute amendments to the Planning Bill to designate LNG as strategic infrastructure, right now it looks like fossil fuel promoters, corporate and official, are running rings around the Green Party.

“Surely Eamon Ryan and Roderic O’Gorman won’t let Shannon LNG become the Shell to Sea of the 2020s? The Greens must now ensure the Government immediately reinstates the moratorium on LNG in a legally robust way. That could be done in legislation, such as the Planning Bill when it comes back to the Dáil on Wednesday, or using a Specific Planning Policy Requirement issued by the Minister responsible for Planning, Darragh O’Brien TD. The Government should also strip out the amendments to the Planning Bill that designate LNG as strategic.

“Moreover, Minister Ryan must also act on his recently expressed doubts about using state-controlled LNG as an emergency gas reserve. He should commission a comprehensive and independent risk assessment of future gas supply and demand that is in line with the climate law and carbon budgets. LNG is simply too polluting to play that reserve role and anyway by the time that supply would be in place gas demand is due to be declining fast. I’m sure a full assessment of all the options will find a cheaper, cleaner way to make sure we always have enough electricity to meet people’s needs.”

It has been confirmed in recent days that a range of opposition amendments against LNG will be on the agenda when Planning Bill returns to the Dáil for the last time on Wednesday.  Meanwhile a Private Member’s Bill  to ban LNG put forward by Deputy Neasa Hourigan has just been drawn from the legislative lotter to be debated in the Dáil on November 7th. Friends of the Earth is calling on the Green Party to use these legislative opportunities to demonstrate their commitment to banning LNG and shaping a path of a climate safe future.

Jerry Mac Evilly, Head of Policy in Friends of the Earth said

“Several TDs have put forward amendments to the Planning Bill rejecting LNG. The Government could itself use the Planning Bill to make certain a moratorium on LNG is established in law. The Planning Bill, as well as Deputy Hourigan’s bill, are now an opportunity to the right the wrongs of the High Court decision.

“The Government agreed to a moratorium on LNG, but clearly didn’t use a policy instrument that was legally strong enough to enforce it. The Green Party needs to ensure that the moratorium on LNG is immediately re-established. That could be done in legislation if time allows before the election, or through a directive directly from the Minister.”

Notes

1. The Green Party commitment on fracked gas in on page 3 of their 2020 manifesto:
   https://www.greenparty.ie/sites/default/files/2022-03/GREEN_PARTY_TOWARDS_2030-WEB-VERSION.pdf
2. The Government’s 2021 Policy Statement on fracked gas and moratorium on LNG is here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f3774-policy-statement-on-the-importation-of-fracked-gas/
3. Last Monday’s High Court judgement in favour of Shannon LNG is here:
   https://www.courts.ie/acc/alfresco/333ae579-31ef-453f-b74b-259fb893aec6/2024_IEHC_555.pdf/pdf
4. The Planning Bill is due back in the Dáil at 18:58 on Wednesday 9 Oc