“Referendum will not stop fracking”, warns leading campaigner as he announces electoral challenge
Anti-fracking activist Donal O’Cofaigh has welcomed the call for a referendum on the issue in Fermanagh but warns that it will not remove the threat of hydraulic fracturing.
He has announced his intention to stand as an anti-fracking candidate in Enniskillen in the upcoming local election and has called for a slate of such candidates across the county.
Donal said: –
“I welcome any opportunity for the people of Fermanagh to have their say on the question of fracking. If the referendum goes ahead, I’m certain the answer will be a resounding ‘no’ to this dangerous practice. But people must understand that it will have no binding legal status. It will not stop fracking by itself.”
“In contrast, Sinn Féin and the DUP both have the power to end this threat to our environment and public health immediately. If either party announced today that they will veto planning permission for drilling when it comes before the Assembly Executive, fracking would be stopped dead in its tracks.”
“The best way to remove the threat of fracking is to maximise pressure on the politicians who have the power to stop it. The upcoming local elections provide an important opportunity to do just that. I will be standing in Enniskillen to provide a genuine anti-fracking voice and demand action, not words, from the main parties. I will seek to work with other activists to bring together a slate of anti-fracking candidates across Fermanagh.”
