Why is Hollywood A-lister Mark Ruffalo talking about Irish planning legislation?
The actor who portrayed The Incredible Hulk has taken on another green giant in the shape of Roderic O’Gorman’s Green Party, claiming in an online video that they are “about to do something really terrible to the environment”.
So what is the issue?
It comes back to the Planning and Development Bill 2023, the Government’s mammoth legislation overhauling the planning system. It’s a rather dense and complex piece of legislation, which has periodically sparked controversy – particularly around the grounds under which a judicial review can be taken. But the Government is absolutely firm in its commitment to pass the legislation before it leaves office, with the Dáil due to vote on it for a final time on Wednesday evening.
Anything more specific?
Ruffalo – and, more parochially, Friends of the Earth (FOE) Ireland – believe that Seanad-stage amendments to the Bill in effect lower the bar for permitting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals. These amendments include a change which allows the Government to introduce strategic gas reserves in some circumstances. For example, if there was an interruption of gas supply from the UK, a floating facility could be introduced to ensure power was kept on.
Why is that controversial?
It is a long-standing position of the Green Party that it is opposed to LNG but it is willing to be more flexible when it comes to strategic, emergency circumstances such as those outlined above. That has triggered a backlash from FOE and Ruffalo – with the former outlining its concerns at a meeting with O’Gorman and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan on Monday. “We left them in no doubt that the Greens’ legacy in Government was at grave risk if they left the door open to fracked gas and LNG terminals on their way out the door,” FOE chief executive Oisín Coghlan said.
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What do the Greens say?
The party seems fairly unmoved by the arguments, even though they’re coming from green-tinged quarters. The Greens have been conducting running repairs trying to soothe concerns among members all day on Wednesday. It said it remains “fully opposed to a commercial LNG facility” and had a pop at Ruffalo – saying his video “gives a misleading account” of what the Bill envisages. It said a strategic backup is envisaged in the energy security strategy published last year, and the Seanad amendment allows for just that. “Keeping the lights on in Ireland is not something that Mark Ruffalo needs to worry about, but it is something that the Irish Green Party obviously cares about.”
Where does all this leave the Bill?
It doesn’t look like the Green backbenchers are sufficiently moved by the arguments to jump overboard on this one. Limerick City TD Brian Leddin said that if the provision was removed it only means a county council would make a decision on LNG rather than An Bord Pleanála. “The way to stop LNG is by accelerating renewables roll-out, battery storage and electricity interconnection with UK and Europe,” he said, arguing progress had come on those fronts with the Greens in government.
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