“Aontú will seek to maximise local democracy and protect our environment; we oppose the issuing of prospecting licenses which threaten to devastate our countryside” - Kelly
Aontú Newry & Armagh Candidate Martin Kelly has stated:
“A Stormont department has said exploration for oil and gas by the controversial practice of fracking will be for a future Executive minister to decide on after the UK government halted the practice in England."
The Department for Economy launched a consultation in May on Tamboran Resources' application for a licence to test a large area in south-west Fermanagh for natural gas. The Australian firm was originally awarded a licence by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) in 2011. But its efforts to drill a borehole at a quarry in Belcoo triggered protests and was rightly blocked.
Martin Kelly concluded:
“The company had speculated that the natural gas resources in County Fermanagh could be worth up to 20 billion pounds and went to great lengths to assure the local community of the financial benefits that would be shared by all.”
"These companies are here to line their own pockets. I am especially opposed to fracking which is an extremely hazardous form of subterranean exploration. This company does not care for the environment or the people who live in the area, they will take what they want and leave pollution and destruction in their wake.”