Campaigners want better deal on resources

MICHAEL O’CONNELL’S labelling of Corrib protesters as villains who are hurting economic progress, defies any logical analysis of the facts.

While Corrib protesters campaign on the health, safety and environmental impacts of the Corrib project, they also campaign on seeking a better deal from any exploitation of the country’s oil and gas resources.

A 2007 report for the US Government Accountability Office which compared the oil and gas terms in different countries worldwide, found that only Cameroon have terms that are more generous to the oil companies.

Mr O’Connell states that "the revenue to the state from the Corrib gas field will benefit every Irish citizen". This is very unlikely to be the case if the current terms prevail.

In December 2010, former head of the Corrib Gas project Brian Ó Catháin stated that in his opinion "Corrib will never pay tax". The reason for this situation is due to the giveaway terms that both Ray Burke and Bertie Ahern gifted the oil companies.

Eoin Ó Leidhin
Ballina
Mayo

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, April 23, 2011