The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
A NEW group has been established in West Clare in opposition to possible fracking in the region. The group includes business interests in the area including Doonbeg Golf Club.
Fracking Free Clare (formerly Clare Fracking Concerned) is already established and has held a number of information meetings in West Clare in recent months.
A licence has been granted to Enegi Oil to prospect for shale gas in West Clare. Fracking is a method of extracting gas from beneath the ground, whereby millions of gallons of water and chemicals are pumped deep into wells, which are placed under high pressure to fracture rock containing natural gas. In areas of the United States where fracking has taken place there have been incidents of contamination of well water by the chemicals used in the process.
Earlier this year Canadian activist Jessica Ernst gave a presentation entitled ‘Fracking Community’ at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis. The meeting was attended by a large audience of people from all over Clare.
Ms Ernst, a scientist from Alberta, Canada with 30 years’ experience in the petroleum industry, spoke about her personal experiences of fracking.
The new established West Clare group is due to meet on Tuesday, July 16.
