Greens are slammed for backing LNG amendment

Southside politicians have slammed the Green Party for their support of an amendment in the new landmark Planning and Development Bill that includes a provision for the use of pro-Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).

The bill was concluded in the Houses of the Oireachtas last week and will now go to the President to be signed into law.

While the bill is designed to simplify and accelerate planning procedures to help ease the housing crisis, a number of amendments were added late on, including a provision to allow floating LNG terminals.

The Bill would allow these terminals to bypass current standard planning processes, causing alarm to environmental activists and a number of local public representatives.

They argue that LNG is often linked with fracked gas, which has been linked with environmentaldamage and public health concerns.

LNG is a cleaner alternative to coal, but its extraction, processing, and transportation can still contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Labour Party leader and Dublin Bay South TD, Ivana Bacik, said she was disappointed to see the Bill pass with the “regressive LNG provisions” included.

“An egregious aspect of this Bill is the Government’s attempt to designate floating LNG terminals as ‘strategic infrastructure,’ allowing them to bypass the normal planning process entirely,” she said.

“This is potentially allowing for the normal planning process to be circumvented completely for the installation of these polluting terminals in Ireland. How can this be happening in 2024?

“LNG is a dirty fuel that will increase our emissions and harm public health. It is a step backward for Ireland’s environmental goals.”

Dublin South-Central TD, Bríd Smith (PBP), accused the Government of “ramming through” legislation to enable new LNG infrastructure.

“It says everything about the Green Party in Government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for over four years that it ends with them trying to ram through laws to enable new fossil fuel infrastructure,” she said.

Labour Party councillor for Glencullen/Sandyford, Lettie McCarty, also lashed out at the Greens for supporting the bill.

“I am particularly surprised at the Green Party’s approach to this crucial issue,” she said.

“The Labour Party put down a range of amendments to delete the Government’s proposals on LNG and it was deeply disappointing to see the Planning Bill passed with the LNG provisions on Wednesday night by 72 votes to 60.”

Environmental group, Friends of the Earth (FOE), had lobbied TDs to remove the LNG amendment from the Bill, arguing that it contradicted official Government policy.

“On the one hand, the Government decided as part of the Energy Security Review there should never be any commercial LNG terminals in Ireland, and that while they research whether state-controlled LNG could provide an emergency gas backup that ‘it would not be appropriate for the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland to be permitted or proceeded with’,” said FOE Chief Executive, Oisín Coghlan.

“But on the other hand, the Government is pushing through last-minute amendments to the Planning Bill that designate LNG as strategic infrastructure.

“You don’t legally designate something you oppose, or aren’t sure we need, as strategic! The contradiction is so absurd it feels like the Government is gaslighting us.”

The Green Party has rejected criticism of its support for the Bill, arguing that there may be a need for a temporary, State-owned offshore gas reserve that wouldn’t contain fracked gas in the event of disruption of supplies coming from the UK.

Environment Minister and Dublin Bay South TD, Eamon Ryan, also hit back at critics, which included Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo who waded into the debate hours before the Bill was passed.

“The amendment is technical in nature and doesn’t actually signify any real change in Government policy,” he told RTE Radio’s News at One.

“It is complicated, there’s no two ways about that, but unfortunately, sometimes you have to live with complicated situations and energy security is a complicated issue.

“There’s broad agreement in the Oireachtas and with a number of NGOs and others in the area that we’re not in favour of commercial LNG facilities being introduced, but that we do have to look at the security issue around having a storage system and to be open to whatever the best way of doing that is.”