Skip to main content

May 2012

Preparing for another Summer of resistance at Rossport Solidarity Camp

By: 
Earth First Newswire

A report from the May Day work week and coming June action camp

Posted Date: 
16 May 2012

News release: Oil industry reaction to Committee’s report hysterical and misleading

News Release - Issued by Dublin Shell to Sea - Monday, May 14th, 2012

-- Oireachtas Committee agrees with campaigners’ critique of oil and gas licensing terms --

The report of the Oireachtas Committee reviewing Ireland’s oil and gas sector, released last week, echoes many of the central criticisms of the licensing regime made by campaigners in recent years. The review was carried out by the Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

Get The Shell Out!

By: 
No Tar Sands

UK Tar Sands Network, Indigenous Environmental Network, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), Women of Africa, Platform, Rising Tide UK, FairPensions, Greenpeace, Shell to Sea, Climate Rush & Art Not Oil present:

 

Posted Date: 
14 May 2012

Wicked Work Weekend in Mayo

By: 
j debender - Rossport Solidarity Camp - Indymedia

Stopping Shell, moving camp & dragging pallets!

Friday 4th May Day of Solidarity successfully stopped all Shell haulage for the day. Once folks were satisfied that Shell wasn't going to try and do any haulage, they went to the Rossport Solidarity Camp to start taking down structures and move the camp

Posted Date: 
12 May 2012

Energy firms drilling off Irish coast face tax rate hike to 80pc under new proposals

By: 
Lyndsey Telford - Irish Independent

ENERGY companies face a doubling of tax rates to 80pc for tapping into huge oil and gas fields off Ireland under proposed new rules.

The Government has been urged to hike offshore levies while radically improving work with local communities to prevent a repeat of the bitter Corrib dispute.

A committee examining the industry has called for a sliding scale of taxes from 40pc to 80pc for speculators that strike it rich.

Posted Date: 
11 May 2012

Offshore operators criticise oil and gas tax proposals

By: 
Tim O'Brien & Lorna Siggins - Irish Times

THE IRISH Offshore Operators’ Association has expressed concern at an Oireachtas committee’s recommendation that large oil or gas finds could be taxed at 80 per cent of profits.

Such a rate would be comparable to or higher than Norway, which has “an established industry, a high rate of commercial discoveries and which refunds 78 per cent of the cost of unsuccessful exploration”, the association said in a statement yesterday.

Posted Date: 
10 May 2012

Raise taxes on oil companies' profits -- report

By: 
Peter Flanaghan - Irish Independent

EXPLORATION

THE tax charged on profits made by oil companies in Irish territory should be increased dramatically and the Government should take control of production levels, an Oireachtas committee said yesterday.

Posted Date: 
10 May 2012

State 'should double' tax take on gas and oil finds

By: 
Lorna Siggins, The Irish Times

[Shell to Sea] The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture report on Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration can be found here

A JOINT Oireachtas committee has recommended that the State double its resource tax take for large oil and gas finds off the Irish coast, and initiate a “transparent” system of public consultation in exploiting new finds.

An all-party report, which is due to be published today by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture, says that there should be a review of offshore fiscal and licensing terms before each licensing round.

The report, which has been seen by The Irish Times, advises against “retrospective changes” to terms of existing agreements – such as those for the Corrib gas field and recent Providence Resources finds – as this could “risk long-term reputational damage”.

However, it points out that only 9.3 per cent of the geologically significant portion within the designated Continental Shelf is currently licensed for exploration or leased for production.

Any “large increase” in the number of commercially viable finds or the size of fields could therefore yield greater benefit to the State, if new tax terms are introduced by the Government, it argues.

Posted Date: 
9 May 2012

Maura Harrington’s son cleared of stealing security radio

By: 
Mayo News

Engineer cleared of stealing security radio

Posted Date: 
8 May 2012

Businesses must respect human rights, says NUI Galway report

By: 
Roisin Peddle

A new report published by NUI Galway has called on the Government to ensure that companies respect human rights, and provide guidance to companies on best practice, including when operating overseas.

The report ‘Business and Human Rights in Ireland’, issued by the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway, also states that adherence to protecting rights should be underpinned by legislation.

Posted Date: 
3 May 2012