Pierce Brosnan Opposes Natural Gas Terminal In Ireland

Pierce Brosnan has written to the Kerry County Council in Ireland in protest over the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.

The 55-year-old actor and environmental activist said he and his wife Keely were supporting the Safety Before LNG campaign against the proposed terminal because of the lack of research into environmental and safety impacts of the project. They objected to a similar project in California two years ago, and referred to their research into that project in their letter.

“What we found was a massive, industrial facility that would have polluted our community in violation of existing air-quality laws and that posed serious long-term risks to public safety and security,” he wrote. “We strongly support Safety Before LNG’s request that the planning department find that this project and its associated pipeline must be thoroughly reviewed for the serious cumulative risks it poses for the local population and the environment.”

Safety Before LNG was set up by locals and environmentalists concerned with the $700 million proposal. Their main concern is that the fast-track planning process means that all environmental, safety and development issues are being examined in parallel and by different government bodies without the right of appeal in the planning process that would exist if the application was first submitted to Kerry County Council.