At the May meeting of Carlow County Council, Independent Councillor Charlie Murphy won support for the following motion: “We the elected members of Carlow County Council, due to the continuing geopolitical and uncertainty of supplies to oil and gas since the Ukraine War and the Middle East request the Minister (for Climate, Energy and the Environment) to carefully consider the provisions in (the) Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.
“(a) The long-term requirement for fossil fuel is real and the case to review the ban on oil and gas exploration licences to be renewed and attract industrial development of our indigenous resources and fuel security. (b) Making sovereign proven gas a productive asset to deliver secure hydrocarbons for the State.
“(c) Rebalancing national energy policy to remove the impossible obligation erroneously set in law by the previous government to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Having done that, to ensure that all State companies and agencies are free to achieve a balance between sustainability, competitiveness, security of supply and economic good.”
Cllr Murphy said he hoped his motion would “start a discussion” both locally and further afield, and agreed with Cllr Daniel Pender’s (FF) suggestion that the provision of nuclear energy in Ireland should also be considered.
While the motion won considerable support, Cllr Adrienne Wallace (PBP) described the motion as “reactive and very short-sighted, in my opinion”, to which she colourfully added: “I feel this represents backwards thinking – is it fossil fuel or fossil fool?” Her interjection led to good-humoured claims within the chamber of a ‘split’ among the elected body’s left-leaning representatives.
KCLR News’ Dermot Keyes spoke to Cllr Murphy following the lively Council debate.
