Minister Dodds, is causing a lot of additional worry in Fermanagh during COVID with a plan to conduct inappropriate, irresponsible, unnecessary, unethical, biased and reckless research into transforming Fermanagh into a toxic industrial gas field. It is paused now under 'Raising Concerns' complaint, but very soon she will have to decide to ignore concerns or listen. We need to Minister Dodds to stop ignoring everything we list below and stop the research that can open the door to fracking and or other extreme fossil fuel gas extraction processes. Our clean air, clean water, health, and landscape will be permanently damaged.  PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION to Minister Dodds in Dept of Economy - LET HER KNOW YOU KNOW WHAT SHE IS IGNORING IF SHE decides to go ahead with the research. 

Dear Minister Dodds,

We need you, Minister Dodds, to listen to the people and represent us– not the oil and gas industry and their friends in GSNI in your Dept who you have put in control of the research to work with Tamboran as stakeholders in your research. GSNI staff too often move over to work in Tamboran seeking to sacrifice our health for their personal profit.

You are refusing our requests to come to Fermanagh or meet with us via Zoom and listen to us, before you decide to continue with the research, about which, we have raised serious concerns, as it that will impact everything we value. We are concerned you may ignore us and continue Ignoring our reality and genuine real scientific and medical research. If you ignore us, then you are ignoring all of of this;

Ignoring the grave Risks, you are creating to our health and environment.
Ignoring the reality of our high radon area and our 60% rise in lung cancer and 35% rise cancer in under 75s and the trauma industrialisation for fossil fuel industry will bring when we have highest rates of mental health issues and the highest % of people 81% with below-average access to services.

Ignoring the huge body of medical evidence that is peer-reviewed showing serious health harms, increasing cancer, birth abnormalities, infant mortality, heart and lung disease that come from the air and water contamination. It is wholly and morally wrong to seek to even consider researching economic gains from 1000s of toxic gas wells into our community.

Ignoring the evidence that is accepted worldwide on the serious threats to life from climate change not just in our community with wetter weather but for others who can no longer grow food.

Ignoring the Paris agreement, science and other gov policy demanding urgent climate action in favour of exploiting old policy that favours fossil fuels.

HEALTH AND CLIMATE EVIDENCE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO REFUSE LICENCE APPLICATIONS, STOP RESEARCH AND SUSPEND OLD POLICY.

Ignoring Hydrocarbons Licencing Regulations stating Public Health must be considered

Ignoring your outrageous research specification that has no requirement for anyone involved to have any public health qualifications and experience.

Ignoring our right under UN regulations to public participation in forming the terms of reference for any such research.

Ignoring Possible Code of Conduct, Conflicts of Interest and Possible collusion. Ignoring the potential for another RHI type scandal.

Ignoring serious governance concerns with GSNI who control the research and their strong links with the fracking industry and how many of them now work for Tamboran.

Ignoring the effective SPPS ban in place by Mark Durkan, and the fact that the majority of MLAs are against licencing for onshore gas as it means puts community health at risk from fracking or similar toxic processes in NI.

Ignoring concerns raised that you were misinformed regarding the need for this research, that in truth you can actually refuse Tamboran’s application because of their lack of efficiency and responsibility, and the serious questions regarding the lack of knowledge about who controls their Isle of Man company and profits from our sacrifice and the extent of conflicts of interest they may have.

Ignoring the trauma of our community endured the last time the Department facilitated for Tamboran to set up in our community, the 24/7 protests, the violence and threat, the widespread injunctions, and high risk of mass arrests and the half a million of policing costs and not listening to our concerns about this research now.

Ignoring the lack of openness and transparency regarding Tamboran’s secret process to get a foothold in the door, is it acidization? now used in the UK? Do they plan to fracture Fermanagh with acid? No one knows – but your licencing allows them to change process to fracking any time without telling anyone.

Ignoring the fact that this application by Tamboran comes under outdated policy and regulations and the clear need for everything to be immediately suspended so it can be fixed.

Ignoring the potential for the GSNI / Tamboran influenced research to compromise the Executive veto on licence applications and create a reason for Westminster to overrule Stormont to our detriment. This 'research' may be a toxic Trojan Horse to make fracking unstoppable.

You must take responsibility for the risk of harm to the health and environment in our community that you are creating if you proceed with this research.
If you do proceed, we feel you need to resign your position. No elected representative can refuse to listen to and represent the people and ignore this level of serious concern and continue in their position.

Please Listen and Act for Us. Arlene Foster listened and protected us. We need you to do the same now. Stop the reckless Research. Refuse the licence applications and Suspend your Policies that are a Presumption for Fossil Fuels. We a need a safe renewable energy future in Fermanagh. Not 1000s of irreparable gas wells because they all leak eventually. What is your legacy going to be?

Note; All MLAs need to take responsibility for this.