Senator Alice-Mary Higgins highly critical of fast-tracking of fossil fuel infrastructure under Planning Bill

LNG Facility
LNG Facility

Independent Senator Alice-Mary Higgins has today strongly criticised the decision by Government to force through planning legislation that will fast-track the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure and which is not compliant with European environmental law.

The Planning and Development Bill 2023 lists the construction of infrastructure relating to liquified natural gas (LNG), which may include fracked gas, as so-called ‘strategic gas infrastructure’, giving it access to a fast-tracked planning process, bypassing local authorities.

The bill has furthermore been found not to be compliant with European environmental law. The Aarhus Convention Committee notified Ireland in June that measures in the bill will not be compliant with Ireland’s international legal obligations under the Aarhus Convention.

 The provisions of the bill will undermine public participation, access to justice and local democracy. Senator Higgins also condemned the use of the guillotine which meant that over 700 amendments, including 167 pages of government amendments that were never scrutinised by the Oireachtas, were forced through in 11 hours.   

 Speaking after the debate, Senator Higgins said: “The rushing through of this deeply flawed bill demonstrates an appalling disrespect for democracy and for the rights of the public.”

 “Forcing the Seanad to pass legislation which has been found to be non-compliant with international law by the Aarhus Compliance Committee is wrong and the Government has displayed an appalling unwillingness to meaningfully engage on or fix this issue. We need a planning system which respects public participation, upholds access to justice, and which allows communities to actually have a say in the decisions which affect their lives. Instead, this bill will push the public further out of the planning process, in a ministerial power-grab which will lead to less accountability, more confusion, and more delays.”

 Senator Higgins continued: “The fast-tracking of fossil fuel infrastructure and in particular liquified natural gas during a climate emergency is an appalling legacy for this coalition government to leave behind. LNG which may include fracked gas, is one of the filthiest and most dangerous fossil fuels, not only in terms of its extreme impacts on carbon emissions, but also in terms of the impact it may have on the local environment and health of communities across the country where an LNG terminal is more likely to be situated thanks to this new law. I urge TDs in their final consideration of this bill in the Dáil to reject the locking in of this dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure for generations to come and the erosion of public participation, access to justice, environmental rights, and local democracy.”

 

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