The Bill by a Sligo/Leitrim TD that would ban fracking has passed another major milestone in its journey toward becoming law.
It has now passed what’s known as ‘the committee stage’ in the Dail.
It is unusual for Bills such as Fine Gael Deputy Tony McLoughlin’s to even reach this stage. It is also the first such Bill to reach and pass the Committee Stage in the current Dail.
However, there are now more than 100 such Bills that have reached this point, and the Taoiseach has indicated they will have to be prioritised if they are to progress further.
The original Bill submitted by Deputy McLoughlin has been strengthened by amendments, with the support of the Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment.
Those amendments give clearer definitions about what activities it is proposed to ban, as well as the offences and penalties that apply.
Eddie Mitchell, of the anti-fracking campaign Love Leitrim, is welcomng the latest progress on Deputy McLoughlin’s Bill.:
