Open letter to Shell
Friday-Tuesday, 12-16 August, 2005
Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 August, 2005
Friday-Monday, 22-25 July, 2005
Tuesday-Friday, 5-8 July, 2005
Friday-Monday, 1-4 July, 2005
Friday-Tuesday, 12-16 August, 2005
Open letter to Shell
In this open letter to Shell, the Rossport Five call on the company to lift a court injunction so they can leave prison and attend talks with the oil company over its controversial plans to build a gas refinery near their County Mayo homes.
We are currently in prison for refusing to allow Shell and their Irish government partners to build a pipeline close to our family homes. Our crime was to refuse access to our lands. We have refused access because of the certainty that, if this pipeline as currently proposed ruptures, we, our families and neighbours will die.
What would you do if a court ordered you to accept the installation of a potentially lethal pipeline which no state agency has or will take responsibility for?
We are currently in prison for an indefinite time until we accept such a pipeline, which we cannot and will not. Would the people of Mayo or Dublin accept a potentially lethal pipeline through the main street in Castlebar or Stephen's Green in Dublin? A pipeline which has a rupture kill zone of several hundred metres? We think not.
Our imprisonment was only made possible by the granting of a compulsory order for our lands to Shell by Frank Fahey TD while minister for marine and natural resources. Without that order, we would be free men today at home with our families. Instead we are confined in prison cells.
Initially we were jubilant and excited for Mayo and the country when we heard of the Corrib gas find. When we learned that the route would traverse Rossport, we became concerned and, as we looked closer and sought advice, we became alarmed. As Irish citizens and mainly traditional second and third-generation Fine Gael and Fianna Fail voters, we instinctively sought reassurance and support from state agencies and our local politicians and as farmers from the IFA [Irish Farmers' Association]. We were initially fobbed off, then ignored and finally marginalised. As our awareness of the lethal danger to our families grew, our concerns turned into resistance.
We owe much in particular to the incredible continued support of Jerry Cowley TD and Michael Ring TD and the Fine Gael and Fianna Fail grass roots in Mayo. By comparison, we have been shocked by the abandonment in our time of crisis by the Fine Gael leader and local TD Enda Kenny, who we now regard as irrelevant in this crisis as a leader. We would also like to acknowledge the massive support we have received from both ordinary Irish citizens and various groupings including ICSA [Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association], ICMSA [Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association], National Women's Council, SWP [Socialist Workers Party], the Greens, Sinn Fein and Labour along with Louth and Galway county councils, Udaras na Gaeltachta and many other local authorities and organisations.
To date, the dealings of the Irish government in this project have seen our land rights given to a private company, our families' and neighbours' very lives endangered and the natural resource of the Irish people given away. This is to such an extent that the Norwegian people, through their state oil company Statoil holding 38 per cent of the Corrib field, will receive more from this project than the Irish people who have a zero per cent holding. In addition, the government has provided 400 acres [162 hectares] of Coillte land and committed the Irish people to finance a gas pipe from Mayo to Galway to facilitate the outward transport of gas to the UK and Europe. The national interest is a myth that has been fabricated by the Irish government and their partner Shell. The minister Noel Dempsey and his department are not and have never been innocent bystanders in this crisis but have played a full role alongside Shell in its creation.
Despite all of this, we, in good faith, acknowledge the attempts of Shell and their government partners to create a period of calm by halting all work on the project in north Mayo and by their call for dialogue. We wish to immediately accept this offer and enter into talks to resolve the impasse. To that end, we ask Shell and their government partners to immediately stand down their injunction at this time so that we can leave prison to attend these talks.
We have been betrayed by our government, marginalised by sections of the media and ignored by the "alternative" government. Instead, it has been the people of Ireland who have sustained us during this time of crisis and personal trauma and who have rallied and continue to rally to our aid. Thank you. All we demand is for our families and neighbours to be safe in their own homes -- no more, no less.
Philip McGrath
Cloverhill Prison, Dublin
Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 August, 2005
Shell accused of 'red herring'
By Irish Republican News
Shell Ireland has announced that it will not lay the offshore section of pipeline for the Corrib gas field until next year after heavy protests by local residents and environmentalists.
But five men jailed for their protests against the construction of the dangerous gas pipeline in County Mayo are to remain in prison.
The five were jailed over a month ago for refusing to abide by a High Court order preventing them for obstructing the construction of the high pressure pipeline from the Corrib gas field to an onshore refinery.
Shell last night announced it was deferring all work on the laying of the offshore pipeline to allow discussion on the future of the project.
The men known as the Rossport Five - Micheal O'Seighin, Willie Corduff, Brendan Philbin, and brothers Vincent and Philip McGrath - have pledged to remain in Dublin's Cloverhill Prison until their concerns about the safety of the pipeline are addressed.
They want the gas to be refined offshore rather than transported along the pipeline beside their homes to the onshore refinery.
Mark Garavan, of the Shell to Sea protest group, said while Shell remained committed to building the pipeline, the men could not promise to facilitate the project.
The men felt they had to be able to resist works which may be carried out in the future, and so could not undertake not to protest against the pipeline's construction, he said.
"The men are not there of their own volition: Shell got the injunction, Shell put them in prison, and it's Shell that have got to get them out."
Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald described Shell's announcement as "a red-herring".
"What people are most concerned about is the on-shore operation and a pipeline which will pose a real danger to the local community in Rossport. In actual fact campaigners are arguing that the pipeline should be based at sea, so Shell are not facilitating local people in any way by this latest announcement.
"Shell has said that they have suspended the work in order to allow for a period of discussion and dialogue. If they are genuine about meaningful dialogue, then they will seize the initiative and lift the injunction against the men in Clover Hill prison.
"These men have spent too long in prison already because of their honourable stance on this issue."
Friday-Monday, 22-25 July, 2005
Held in contempt
By Irish Republican News
Five Mayo men protesting against the construction of a dangerous gas pipeline through their community were sent back to jail on Monday -- despite confirmation that some of the construction work was carried out without official permission.
The five men from Rossport opposing the proposed pipeline from the Corrib gas field are behind bars for contempt of a court order banning them from blocking access by the Shell and Statoil companies to their land.
The five men, Micheal O Seighin, Willie Corduff, Brendan Philbin, Philip McGrath and Vincent McGrath, may now be held behind bars until October.
The case in becoming increasingly politically charged as the fall-out grows.
Mr Justice Finnegan also told the opposing parties to communicate with each other and not to "thrash it out in court" -- but controversially refused to release the men pending a resolution.
The hearing of the men's action against Shell will not now take place before October. They have now been in Cloverhill Prison for 25 days.
The court heard yesterday that the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, had written to Shell's chief executive, Andy Pyle, saying the company had acted outside the terms of ministerial consents on certain works, including the welding of sections of pipeline.
Analysts have warned that a rupture of the welds on the high-pressure pipeline to the proposed onshore refinery could lead to a devastating fireball explosion. Local residents have urged Shell to build their refinery offshore.
Minister Noel Dempsey has said, despite the permit breach by Shell, he would not intervene in the judicial process to release the men.
Sinn Fein Spokesperson on Marine and Natural Resources Martin Ferris slated the court decision, which he described as a "travesty of injustice".
In a day of protests on Saturday, at least 20 petrol stations were picketed by Sinn Fein activists across the country.
"The judge even refused to listen to the case put before him," Ferris said. "This is an absolute disgrace. These five men are in jail for simply protecting their community against a hazardous pipeline.
"These men should never have been in jail in the first place and should be released immediately.
"The behaviour of the judge today raises serious questions about the men's incarceration. Because of his action's they could now remain in jail until October, which is totally unacceptable.
"Sinn Fein will continue to campaign for the men,s release, for the pipe line to be moved off shore and we will also highlight the deeper injustice of how the government of the day managed to simply sell off one of the greatest resources this state has to foreign companies. Now these same companies hold a community to ransom."
Spokesman for the five men in prison and their families Mark Garavan called on the Minister and the main political parties to stop behaving like "bystanders" in the current situation.
Speaking after the court hearing, Mr Garavan said the issue was not simply one of the men purging their contempt in court.
"This does not just involve an apology. It involves giving an undertaking not to protest against Shell's activities on the ground in Mayo and this is something that the men cannot do, given the risk posed to them, their families and neighbours by this high-pressure pipeline."
Mr Garavan said that the men were disappointed the Minister had not sought to be represented in court yesterday, in the light of his own announcement that Shell was in breach of ministerial consents.
"One would have thought that when the liberty of five citizens was at stake, the Minister or his representatives would seek to clarify the information before the court," Mr Garavan said.
The five men were all in "very good spirits", Mr Garavan said. The men and their families were united on the issue, he emphasised.
"This is not easy, it is not a game, it is not pleasant for anyone involved in this, but at this point they have no choice in the matter, unless Shell decides it is going to build this refinery offshore," he said.
Tuesday-Friday, 5-8 July, 2005
Nationwide protests back Rossport 5
By Irish Republican News
Over 1,000 people staged a nationwide protest last night to support five north Mayo residents jailed over their opposition to the construction of a high-pressure gas pipeline through their lands.
The protesters picketed outside Shell garages across the country as the row over the jailing of the men deepened.
Micheal O'Seighin, Vincent McGrath, his brother Philip, Willie Corduff and Brendan Philbin from Rossport in County Mayo are being held in Cloverhill prison in Dublin for refusing to obey an injunction taken out by the Shell Oil company.
"It is not good enough for the Government to wash their hands of the Corrib Gas debacle and allow Shell to ride roughshod over the people of Rossport," said Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris.
The five men were put in Cloverhill prison last week for obstructing the construction of the pipeline across their land and have stated publicly that they are determined to continue their opposition to the pipeline.
Shell is seeking to pump gas from the Corrib gas field along the pipe to a refinery at Bellanaboy in Mayo.
The jailed men want Shell to build the gas refinery offshore, pointing out that their homes are being subjected to an unnecessary health and safety risk.
Protests took place in Dublin, Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Leitrim, Waterford, Laois, Kilkenny, Kildare and Westmeath. Another rally is being held in Belmullet later today.
Mr Ferris said over a thousand people had turned out to protest and hand out leaflets to highlight the men's plight.
"In the interest of justice it is only right and proper that all people concerned should show their support for the men and their families," he said.
"They all have families and it has taken an enormous toll on them."
Mr Ferris said: "The five men should be released immediately. The Government should initiate an independent review of health and safety risks and institute a thorough public investigation into every aspect of Shell's involvement in this project right back to the shoddy deal that gave them control over the Corrib Field in the first instance."
The Kerry North TD added: "Mostly everyone I have spoken to is revolted that a multi-national like Shell is infringing on the rights of citizens."
Protests after jailing of Shell opponents
By Irish Republican News
A series of protests have been organised after five men were jailed at the insistence of the multinational Shell company over their opposition to a gas pipeline being built across their lands in County Mayo.
All five of the protesting men were sent to prison after refusing to guarantee to the Dublin High Court that they would facilitate the construction of the Corrib gas pipeline.
A consortium of energy companies, including Marathon and the Norwegian Statoil, is to construct an onshore gas refinery in forested bogland nine kilometres from the sea. An environmentally protected lakeland and beach area is threatened by the construction, while local residents fear the untested technology.
It has emerged that the only review of Shell's risk analysis was conducted by a company half-owned by Shell. Campaigners have called for an independent review.
At a demonstration in Castlebar, County Mayo on Sunday, thousands called for Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and other senior government ministers to resign following the jailing of the five men.
Hundreds gathered in protest at the proposed terminal site at Bellanaboy in north Mayo on Monday, while others went to the Galway office of Minister of State Frank Fahey.
Mr Fahey, as former Marine Minister, approved of the pipeline and the compulsory acquisition of lands by the oil companies along the route.
The protesting men are farmers Willie Corduff, Philip McGrath and Brendan Philbin, and retired schoolteachers Vincent McGrath and Michael O'Suighin.
Dr Jerry Cowley, an Independent TD, said: "I think the time has come for Minister Fahey just to bow out now because those people are in jail because of all that has happened by successive ministers.
"I just don't think it is acceptable that those people can languish in jail while this goes on, while Shell bulldozes its way over the small people," he said.
Sinn Fein TD Martin Ferris slammed the decision to lock up the five men.
"I condemn this decision in the strongest possible terms. These men have legitimate concerns regarding the threat to safety that this pipeline may pose," said Ferris.
Party president Gerry Adams was denied access to visit the five men in Cloverhill prison in Dublin on Saturday.
Mr. Adams described the jailings as "totally wrong".
He called for the men to be released immediately and the injunctions against others involved to be lifted.
"These men and their families and neighbours believe that the pipeline is unsafe as the pressure of gas is far too high for its proximity to homes. This view is supported by many people.
"Pending a full enquiry into all aspects of the project; from the initial deal made under the terms agreed by corrupt former Minister Burke, to the ongoing safety concerns, all work should be halted.
"We are also calling for the state to reclaim the Irish peoples stake in our natural resources and institute a tax and royalties scheme that ensures that the Irish people benefit from the gas.
"It is a ludicrous situation that Corrib gas is completely under the control of a company that can write off all its tax, pays no royalties and sells the gas back to the Irish state at market value. It is unprecedented in any other country."
Micheal O Seighin's daughter Brid Ni Sheighin said her father's spirits remained high and the men had no intention of backing down.
"These men feel they have to protect their families and that is why they have taken this stand," she said.
Vincent McGrath's daughter Maire said opposition to the pipeline would continue.
"Shell will find that they are going to have to deal with these men's wives and children next. There is no way we are going to let them into the area," she said.
Feature: Shell and Co. come to Mayo
By Irish Republican News
The Corrib Gas Field off the west coast of Ireland is being developed by three multinational companies, headed by Shell. They intend to refine the gas in a forest which is 9 km inland. Shell intend to bring the offshore pipeline to the refinery through this 9 km stretch of land along and under the public road and in close proximity to houses.
Pipeline
Shell maintains that there is nothing exceptional about this pipeline compared to other gas pipelines operating safely in cities and towns in Ireland.
High pressure transmission pipelines operated in Ireland must adhere to 'sales gas' standards -- cleaned, odorised gas with pressure less than 80 bar and a mandatory separation distance of 70 metres from dwellings to conform with the code of practice of the National Safety Authority of Ireland [NSAI]. Maximum pressure in cities/towns is 4 bar.
The Corrib Gas pipeline is very different:
It will not be possible to maintain even a 70m separation from houses and stay safely clear of the loose clay cliff face along the shore of the beautiful 'Sruth Fada Conn' estuary.
In the same trench, to operate the wells remotely there will be an electric power supply, high-pressure hydraulic fluid supply, and a methanol injection supply.
This amounts to some cocktail through notoriously unstable ground. Should there be a rupture of this high-risk pipeline, the consequences for man and the environment would be unquantifiable and, unbelievably, the Dublin government is carrying the responsibility for this unprecedented high-risk, high-pressure Shell pipeline. Why?
The Deal
Corrib Gas, worth at a conservative estimate, six billion euro, was given away by the Dublin government without any retention of state interest. The private multi-national oil companies will pay no royalties and with tax write-offs going back 25 years, they will pay no tax to this State. Any gas sold to the Government will be bought at commercial rates.
In order to bring the gas to market, Bord Gais [the Irish Gas Board] will build a 150 km pipeline from the refinery site to the National Gas Grid in Craughwell, County Galway. Bord Gais has refused to disclose the cost of this pipeline. Only 27% of the Corrib Gas reserve will to be sold to Bord Gais. The remaining 63% will be sold to private customers in competition with Bord Gais -- but through Bord Gais pipelines.
Environment
The proposed refinery site is surrounded by a cluster of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protected Areas (SPA). The National Parks and Wildlife Service which is entrusted with the protection of such sites has failed miserably in its duty under European law.
Emissions of 13 million cubic meters per day at an average temperature of 500 degrees centigrade will be released from this refinery and will be fall on these protected sites in the typically heavy rain of the area. There will be 240,000 kg. of gas released into the atmosphere each year. This will create formaldehyde which will rain down on villages and environemntally sensitive areas downwind of this refinery.
Two salmon rivers are in the catchment of this site. The site drains through one of those rivers into the special conservered area of Carrowmore Lake, which also provides drinking water for 10,000 people. An Inspector from An Bord Pleanala [Irish Planning Board] warned that through siltation, the lake could turn into a giant settlement pond from which it might never recover. Also, remaining peat in the refinery site is to be 'stabilized' by mixing in 36,000 tons of dry cement, with permission to repeat the procedure if the desired result is not achieved. Pollutants, including carcinogens, will end up in Carrowmore Lake through runoff.
Since the arrival of Shell at this site, the Ballinaboy River, which was Class A (i.e. pristine) for the previous 10 years, is now highly polluted. Angling has had to be suspended for the last two seasons in the Carrowmore Lake area.
Safety
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) failed to take into account several scenarios as required under European law. Nevertheless, they stated in their report that the worst possible consequences would be caused by a full-bore rupture at the high-pressure gas pipeline and that the fatal effects from a jet fire could extend to over half a kilometer. Despite this, residents are expected to live and work within 70 meters of this pipeline!
There will be a constant risk of vapour cloud explosions through the ignition of clouds of gas emissions drifting downwind.
There will be a requirement for massive amounts of propane to be stored on site for a future gigantic refrigeration plant required as field pressure drops. Propane is extremely flammable with a flashpoint of 1 degree.
Over a thousand tonnes of gas 'condensate' will be stored on site and 3,604 tonnes will be incinerated annually for fuel use against all best international practice and EU law.
The hydrate inhibitor, Methanol is to be used. Methanol is highly flammable with a flashpoint of 10 degrees. It is extremely toxic and in incidence of small contamination causes blindness. Glycol is the industry preferred alternative and is much safer but is more expensive to use. A massive 3,629 tonnes of methanol will be stored on site in 5 giant tanks with an annual loss to the environment of 1,825 tonnes.
The HSA has stated in their report that 'Uncontrolled release of each of these materials (condensate and methanol) into the environment, at sufficiently high volumes, is likely to result in a major accident to the environment'.
Road transportation
In order to build the refinery, 450,000 tons of peat has to be removed from the refinery site. Mayo County Council 'upgraded' a bog road through special areas of conservation to enable 800 loaded trucks per day for at least 6 months to transport the peat 13 km away. In the first week of operation, three trucks carrying this saturated peat went off the road. Work has been suspended to strengthen the supposedly well-prepared road.
One wonders what would happen should vehicles carrying propane gas or methanol go off the road as happened the trucks carrying peat? The emergency services are 80 km away. The transportation of dangerous substances by road does not come under the remit of the HSA nor does the pipeline, save for the 5m stretch within the refinery site thus protecting Shell personnel. No Authority or Agency is responsible for the health and safety of the public from the remaining 9 km of this pipeline.
High Court
People living along the route of this pipeline are greatly concerned about their safety and health. They requested to see the risk assessment upon which the Minister based his 'consent' for this project, before admitting Shell personnel onto their lands. This was refused. They were hauled by Shell before the President of the High Court for an injunction, whic required the men not to 'interfere' with the oil company's pipe-laying plans.
At each of the four different sittings of the High Court, they requested to see the risk assessment. The President of the High Court granted Shell the injunction without allowing them the right to view the documents. They were subsequently denied a copy of the judgement.
Four men were jailed by the High Court in Dublin last week after Shell had sought the imprisonment of the men for not abiding by the injunction. Is this justice?
Potential Disaster
Should there be a rupture of this pipeline, the electric power supply will be severed. There is then total reliance on an automatic shut-down facility. If this fails, (and 30% of pipeline failures are due to faulty equipment), the operator will have lost control of the wells. It is a frightening scenario.
Is there is a solution to protect the environment in this sensitive location; to safeguard the health and safety of the public and to relieve all our 'protective agencies' from the shameful abdication of their responsibilities under EU law? Yes. Clean the gas offshore and bring it on land -- safely.