Cavan urged to make stand against gas drilling plans

A new company who plan to drill hundreds of gas wells in West Cavan over the next 15 years will meet with Cavan County Council's planning committee next week. Australian registered company Tamboran was awarded the licence to make preliminary drillings for gas on an area called the Lough Allen Carboniferous Basin, which takes in all of West Cavan and much of the north of the county. The volume of gas trapped in shale rock in Cavan and neighbouring counties, particularly South Fermanagh and Leitrim, has been estimated to be worth tens of billions of euro. However the technique used to extract the gas, hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, has come under fire in America after award winning 2009 film Gasland documented the ill effects suffered by many residents living near gas wells, the destruction of landscape and instances of water, soil and air pollution. Fracking involves forcing between one million and 10 million gallons of frack fluid into shale - which in Cavan lies between 400 and 500 metres below the surface - to crack open the rock formation and channel the gas into the well. Much of the harmful effects associated with fracking are caused by the toxic make-up of the frack fluid. Concerned residents in Leitrim have acted fast to set up a campaign group to fight the use of fracking in the county and they are urging their neighbours in Cavan and Fermanagh to make a stand too. "What we are trying to do is keep the information going out," Leitrim resident and member of the as yet unnamed group, Mary Rose Geoghegan said, "because everybody has to know about this and everybody needs to be on board. It is not going to be won by a handful of people." In an extensive interview with The Anglo-Celt last Friday, the CEO of Tamboran, Richard Moorman moved to assure Cavan residents that the shocking practices exposed by the film will not be repeated by his company. He insists that the disturbing side effects could easily have been avoided at a nominal financial cost by adequately lining the bore hole. He claimed that his company has developed a non-toxic frack fluid. He said that he expects to disclose the exact make-up of the chemical solution in September. Tamboran is currently undertaking a series of research studies and expects to commence its Environmental Impact Study (EIS) this summer. Tony Brazley, the company's representative for Fermanagh will meet the planning committee of Cavan county Council on Tuesday, July 19, and they anticipate they will be invited to meet the full Council in September. Once they have met the council they have vowed to address public meetings soon after. The Lough Allen Carboniferous Basin stretches across south County Fermanagh, all of Leitrim, the north west of Mayo and North Roscommon, the west and north of County Monaghan and over into Monaghan. Tamboran was awarded the licence to conduct preliminary drills in March. SEE THIS WEEK'S ANGLO-CELT FOR AN EXTENSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TAMBORAN'S RICHARD MOORMAN