Dail fracking ban a great victory for local campaigners, boost for global climate movement

Dáil passes fracking ban in a great victory for local campaigners
Historic move a boost for global climate movement

Commenting, Friends of the Earth Ireland's Deputy Director, Kate Ruddock, said

"This ban is a great victory for the local campaigners who have mobilized and educated themselves, their communities and their elected representatives on the threat fracking poses to local water, regional employment and global climate. It's a real honour for us to work alongside them to progress this Bill in parliament.

"It's also a victory for the global climate movement. All around the world communities are campaigning to keep fossil fuels in the ground and to put citizens at the heart of a new, clean, healthy energy system. This victory is a tribute to their solidarity and is a shot in the arm for our common cause of a fossil free future.

"The passage of the Bill also shows that 'new politics', where the Irish government no longer has a majority in parliament, can produce progressive results when deputies from all parties and none work with each other and those who elect them to tackle the challenges we face. We salute all those TDs who have worked to progress and improve this Bill, in particular Tony McLoughlin who has sponsored this Bill for the last year, and Minister Naughten who swung his Cabinet colleagues in behind the Bill. It is the first private member's Bill passed by this Dáil.

"Ireland has a reputation as a climate laggard and too often our lack of climate action is a cause of embarrassment internationally, but today we can be proud of our parliament for putting Ireland in the vanguard of the movement to ban fracking."

The Bill now moves to the Senate and is expected to become law before the summer break.

Read the BreakingNews.ie coverage here, and the Irish Times parliamentary report here.

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