Belcoo stands strong against Fracking

Belcoo at the centre of the campaign against Fracking

At 4.40am on the morning of July 21st a convoy of vehicles snaked its way from Enniskillen to a small quarry located on an unclassified road located just two miles from the border village of Belcoo. A handful of local farmers who met the vehicles enroute described seeing that the extended convoy of vehicles included police vehicles at the front, in the middle and at the back.

Throughout the early hours of the morning, security guards erected eight foot high gates and garnished them with razor wire, when finished they stood behind them accompanied with guard dogs in a very visible manifestation of what this industry means to the local community.

Only after they had erected the security structures did Tamboran notify locals of their intentions and a team of three canvassers visited doors. As the morning wore on and the word got out on what had happened more and more households demanded that the uninvited visitors leave immediately. In the end up, they only leafleted many houses.

At 9am, Tamboran lodged a request with the Department for Environment to proceed with exploratory drilling at the site under ‘permitted development rights’ under a pre-existing quarrying license. There would be three weeks until the Minister would sanction their request and drilling could proceed then.

SDLP Party Conference Fails to Vote For a Ban on Fracking

The recent press exposure of the fact that the SDLP party membership voted down a motion calling for a ban on Fracking is a disappointment to campaigners opposed to this destructive industry. The SDLP's position has been characterised by a deep sense of political opportunism throughout the process. Publicly members of the party have been keen to be seen opposing Fracking but the reality on the ground is very difficult.

Some individual members have been forceful in their position on the issue but primarily it has been those elected by communities facing this challenge. Councillor Brendan Gallagher of Erne West spoke publicly for a Ban on Fracking at a meeting of approximately 400 residents in the rural area of Cashel in 2011. He subsequently brought forward a successful motion calling for a Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing for Gas in Fermanagh District Council. Councillor Donal Cunningham of the Moyle District Council area brought forward a similar, successful motion against proposals for fracking in the Rathlin Basin area of the north coast.

At Stormont, the situation has been more complicated. While the SDLP supported a motion calling for a Moratorium which was passed in the NI Assembly in 2012 and both their Ministers for the Environment have publicly voiced concerns over the environmental impact and safety of Fracking, very little concrete has been done.