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Shell Oil have responded to further concerns expressed by the Celtic League about the harassment and disturbance caused to the community in north Mayo where Shell E&P Ireland Limited (SEPIL) are pressing ahead with the construction of a refinery.
Shell go to some lengths to distance themselves from the jailing of a more local people from the area who have been involved in the protest. However the perception amongst some in the north Mayo area is that Gardai because of there actions are little better than 'Shell's Cops".
Whether or not the statement by Shell that "the Gardai are not working for SEPIL" is true what is very clear is that the damage done to Police - Community relations will take years to recover from Shells decision to seek police cover around its construction sites in the area.
The correspondence from Shell to Celtic League General Secretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, is set out below:
"10th August 2007
Dear Mr Tal-e-bot
Many thanks for your letter dated July 18th that I received recently.
You raise concerns about the recent jailing of a number of people from Co. Mayo for attacks on members of the Gardai. As you state Shell E&P Ireland Limited (SEPIL) was in no way implicated in this case and it would be therefore inappropriate for us to comment on the incident.
I can assure you that the Gardai are not working for SEPIL - their presence is required in Co. Mayo to ensure that workers at the site (most of whom are from the local area) can safely access their workplace. It is indeed regrettable that they are required at all. If you have any further queries regarding the Gardai I would suggest that you direct them to the Gardai complaints office.
You ask what steps SEPIL is taking to build local trust on the area. Over the passed year SEPIL has taken a number of steps to address this issue. Most notably SEPIL has agreed to implement all of the recommendations made by an independent mediator last autumn. SEPIL has agreed to move the onshore pipeline route to address ongoing concerns regarding proximity to housing. It wa this concern that the onshore pipeline route was, at 70 metres, too close to housing that caused the initial concern among some members of the local community. SEPIL has appointed RPS engineers to help facilitate the consultation around a new route as well as to provide engineering services. Over the past number of months extensive local consultation has taken place including Open Days, local workshops and face to face meetings. On June 12 th RPS outlined eight potential corridor routes and is currently seeking local comment on these. I enclose some further details on this process for your information.
I would like to assure you that SEPIL is doing all it can to rebuild local trust. It is our firm belief that these efforts are succeeding and research that has been carried out both by ourselves and third parties shows this. I think that you will find that whilst there are still differences of opinion the majority of people in the local area are supportive of the project. There are currently 400 people employed on the site and SEPIL is ensuring that as many people as possible are from the local area. SEPIL has also recently launched a scholarship programme with local schools and continues to support many local clubs and voluntary organisations.
Should you have any further queries, I think it would be best if you spoke with the project office in Ireland, either Terry Nolan, the Deputy Managing Director of the project (based in Mayo), or Susan Shannon, the projects External Affairs Advisor (based in Dublin).
Regarding your final question on gas flaring in Nigeria, the SPDC joint venture expects to end continuous flaring there, as planned, during 2009. Achieving this plan depends on funding being secured from our joint venture partners in Nigeria and on communities allowing us free and safe access to our protection sites.
Thank you for your interest in Shell, I hope that I have been able to answer your queries sufficiently.
Kind regards
Mike Wilkinson Vice President, Sustainable Development
Cc: terry Nolan, Susan Shannon
Enclosures:
Community Update Corrib Gas Updates Bellanaboy Bridge Gas Terminal: Environmental Managaement"
See also Celtic News earlier items on this subject at:
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J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
21/08/07
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