This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24325238
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| NI agriculture minister 'to block fracking' on department land | NI agriculture minister 'to block fracking' on department land |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill has said she will attempt to block any plans to use "fracking" on land owned by her department. | Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill has said she will attempt to block any plans to use "fracking" on land owned by her department. |
| Fracking is a controversial method of extracting gas from shale rock. | Fracking is a controversial method of extracting gas from shale rock. |
| Australian mining company Tamboran has been granted a licence to explore for gas in the border counties of Fermanagh and Leitrim. | |
| The licence area covers thousands of acres of forestry land owned by the Department of Agriculture. | The licence area covers thousands of acres of forestry land owned by the Department of Agriculture. |
| If approval is sought to extract the gas using hydraulic fracturing or fracking, the minister said her department would have to be consulted. | If approval is sought to extract the gas using hydraulic fracturing or fracking, the minister said her department would have to be consulted. |
| In a letter to her party colleague, assembly member Phil Flanagan, Mrs O'Neill said she would not agree to fracking taking place on land owned by the department. | In a letter to her party colleague, assembly member Phil Flanagan, Mrs O'Neill said she would not agree to fracking taking place on land owned by the department. |
| She said she was both "personally and politically concerned" about the process and any potential impact it could have on the environment. | She said she was both "personally and politically concerned" about the process and any potential impact it could have on the environment. |