The Irish government's report on how the Rossport pipeline scheme is completely safe is due today.
A casual observer might ask when the report finally sees the light of day:
If there are genuine questions about the safety of the high-pressure scheme as Shell proposed to build it last year, then weren't the Rossport Five justified to protest against it?
So will the government be making a formal apology to the five men, and compensating them for their imprisonment?
Will Shell be censured for their conduct?
Of course not. This report will come out, say the pipeline was safe as proposed, but with a few cosmetic changes it will be even safer (the gas will still be raw, untreated, odourless, and high pressure). The economics will still be the same (Nigeria gets a better deal from Shell on their natural resources). So the Irish people will still get nothing for letting a multi-national destroy a community.
Let's hope Noel Dempsey realises that the pipeline will never be built, so the time to get out is BEFORE the election.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0503/corrib.html
Final draft of Corrib pipeline report due
03 May 2006 11:27
The final recommendations of a Government sponsored report into the safety of the controversial Corrib gas pipeline in Co Mayo are to be made public later today.
The report and an accompanying statement from the Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey, is expected to set out the conditions under which Shell will be allowed to construct the 9km onshore pipe.
Local residents, including the five Rossport men who spent 94 days in prison last year, have been opposing the planned pipeline because they say it would pose an unacceptable risk to their health and safety.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0503/corrib.html