Shell To Sea press release: EPA Oral hearing 16/04/07

Today marks the start of the EPA oral hearing into Shell's IPPC licence application for the proposed Bellanaboy gas refinery, and this process is broadly welcomed by Shell To Sea. The hearing will give the public at large an opportunity to debate, for the first time, some of the key aspects of the project.However, certain issues central to community concern remain outside the scope of this process, and only a review of the project in it's totality can meet the fundamental requirement of community consent. This will not be addressed by the hearing.The Environmental Protection Agency (through it's Office of Environmental Enforcement) has a statutory role in "the regulation of large or complex activities that have significant polluting potential" but the licensing stage is the only point at which such activities can be realistically prevented by the Agency.For this reason Shell To Sea welcomes the opportunity to openly challenge aspects of the proposed Corrib gas project, and look forward to a fair and transparent hearing that could, for the first time, reverse a proposed EPA decision.ENDFor comment or verification call John Monaghan on +353 86 3123439