Mark Ruffalo accuses Irish government of 'breaking its promise to stop LNG'

Hollywood superstar Mark Ruffalo has accused the Irish government of breaking its “promise to stop LNG” over plans for a floating liquified natural gas facility.

It comes just four years after he shared the screen with Eamon Ryan to support the Green Party’s coalition with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail as the soon to be energy minister negotiated a ban on importing fracked gas via LNG.

During that webinar, the Dark Waters actor urged people to “do the right thing” because fracking was “poisoning” American communities, leaving people “sick and dying”.

Read more: Mark Ruffalo hails grassroots activists who rallied against Shannon LNG

Ireland had already banned fracking here in 2017 with his support and the 2020 campaign led by grassroots groups saw the government adopt new policy, banning fracked gas use.

The 2021 policy said: “Pending the outcome of the review of the security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems, it would not be appropriate for the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland to be permitted or proceeded with.”

As a result, the Green Party opposed plans for an LNG facility on the banks of the River Shannon.

But following that energy security review, a floating LNG terminal was included in a shortlist of options with the US firm behind Shannon LNG offering Minister Ryan the use of their site.

Safety Before LNG accused the minister of a U-turn and 140 groups called out the proposal in an open letter in March.

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Now environmental heavyweight Mark Ruffalo has weighed in again with groups from both sides of the Atlantic writing to Minister Ryan today [MON].

Mark Ruffalo said: “The question needs to be asked why the Green Party supports building one of the biggest pieces of fossil fuel infrastructure in Ireland?

“It makes no sense and it breaks their prior promise to stop LNG.

Farming not fracking graffiti

“Meanwhile, the US has stopped new LNG export terminal approvals given the need to review the significant national security, economic, and climate impacts of LNG.

“Green Party leader Eamon Ryan and the Irish government must do the same and acknowledge LNG’s disastrous climate impacts and grave public safety and security risks.”

The letter from Frack Action, Friends of the Earth and Not Here Not Anywhere outlines their opposition to a state-backed LNG import terminal, outlining the potential implications for communities at suitable sites in Cork and the Shannon Estuary.

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It states: “In the event of a LNG terminal incident, in which LNG can ignite with uncontrollable fires that are so hot that they can burn people up to a mile away, both these locations would have catastrophic casualties and deaths in Cork or Kerry and Clare.”

The letter adds: “We believe that you, as the leader of the Green Party, should not support building one of the largest pieces of fossil gas infrastructure in Ireland.

“We are gravely concerned that building a floating LNG import terminal threatens the existing government policy that places a moratorium on fracked gas imports and LNG.

“Furthermore, doing so may result in future governments locking Ireland into disastrous fossil fuel infrastructure at the very time we must get off gas completely and transition to clean energy sources.”

It is signed by Frack Action’s Julia Walsh, FOE’s Oisin Coghlan and Britta Thiemt from Not Here Not Anywhere.

Climate activists spell out "Frack Off LNG" with their bodies during a mass trespass of the site of the proposed Shannon LNG fracked gas import terminal on the Shannon Estuary in north Kerry on Sunday, 7th August 2022
(Image: Michael Higgins)

Julia Walsh, Director of Frack Action, said: “The Irish government has a moratorium on fracked gas imports via LNG and if this terminal is approved, it will put this policy in question.

“LNG terminals pose significant national security and safety risks, the same risks that this report is stating it seeks to avoid.

“In the US, President Biden just paused new LNG export approvals to review the significant public safety, climate, and economic dangers, and Ireland must consider the same harms.”

A spokesperson for the minister said a floating storage and regasification facility is just “one of the options being considered” and that the “optimum solution has not yet been decided”.

They added: “Ireland’s energy future is renewable.

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“To reduce reliance on gas imports, we will reduce gas imports and increase supply of renewable indigenous gas with a renewable gas-compatible storage solution.

“As a transitionary measure we will introduce, on a temporary basis only, a strategic gas emergency reserve [which] would only be used in the case of a disruption to gas supplies.

“Minister Ryan has requested Gas Networks Ireland to explore the optimum solution for a strategic emergency reserve and provide a detailed proposal to deliver this facility in quarter two of this year.”

They added that it must not increase gas demand, be cost effective and compatible with the Climate Act and broader climate and energy policy.

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