‘Fossil fuel exploration is worrying’

THE Green Party has called on the government to stop granting licences for oil and gas exploration off the coast of Co Wexford.

An exploration licence was granted in July 2016 for an area offshore to the south east of Rosslare. The local branch of the Green Party called for no further exploration for fossil fuels off the county’s coastline. The party recently presented a Prohibition of Fossil Fuels Bill in the Dáil, seeking an end to further oil and gas exploration in Irish territory.

Wexford Green Party spokesperson Ann Walsh, pictured, said that she found it ‘incredibly worrying’ that the Government continues to grant licenses to explore for fossil fuels, ‘knowing the challenges Ireland faces in meeting our climate change targets, and the negative environmental and health impacts fossil fuels have’. ‘We’re calling on the Government to stop the granting of licenses,’ she said. ‘County Wexford has a number of licences for offshore drilling – this must be stopped.’

‘Day by day, we are learning more of the damage that offshore oil and gas exploration is doing to our marine environment – disrupting and destroying vital and delicate habitats and threatening areas crucial to our fisheries, tourism and leisure sectors,’ she added. ‘We need to protect our oceans and keep these polluting fossil fuels in the ground.’

Party leader Eamon Ryan said the Dáil has already banned fracking for onshore gas. ‘It is now time to take the next step and stop all exploration for oil and gas in our offshore waters,’ he said.

Ireland was recently ranked Europe’s worst performer in tackling climate change and reducing emissions.