Donnelly welcomes Alliance re-confirming opposition to underground gas storage plans

Alliance Larne Lough representative Danny Donnelly has welcomed his party recently re-confirming its opposition to plans for underground gas storage caverns in the area.

Danny was speaking after Alliance’s recent Party Council meeting, in which a motion opposing the proposals and giving concerns about the environmental impact and public safety was backed by delegates.

“Many questions remain unanswered about the plans for gas storage caverns and people across Mid and East Antrim are rightly concerned about what such a scheme could mean for the local area,” said Danny.

“Although Alliance has opposed this idea for many years, given how it has recently come to public prominence again, it was important to raise the matter and re-confirm our party’s strong opposition, supporting a moratorium on the extraction and storage of fossil fuels in Northern Ireland given the concerns about environmental impacts and public safety.

“It is surprising the Environment Minister at the time every gave the go-ahead for this project in the first place, added to a seeming lack of scrutiny of the harmful effects since then. Despite the attempts of Islandmagee Energy to allay concerns, it is clear they cannot adequately assure the people of the local area they would not suffer from this project.”
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