A Donegal county councillor has urged the public to oppose mining in the county.
Cllr Michael Mac Giolla Easbuig urged people to object to plans for four prospecting licences for four parts of the county.
He said the possibility that Great Glen Resources might be granted licenses to mine for gold, silver and other minerals in Donegal is a cause for great concern.
He said “Mining for minerals can be a catastrophe for the local environment. Water sources are exposed to contamination and huge volumes of water are consumed to extract minerals from the base rock.
“Noxious chemicals are also involved in the extraction process. In the case of mining for gold and silver, for example, tons of cyanide are used to separate the minerals from the rocks which contain the minerals.
“In the case of Donegal, the situation is made much more dangerous by the presence of high levels of radon in the rocks. If drilling through these rocks was to happen, the radon gas would be dispersed into the air with no way of knowing where it would contaminate.
“There is no doubt in my mind that mineral extraction under these conditions would benefit nobody except the shareholders of Great Glen Resources, who don’t have to live with the consequences of their exploration.”
He added that he will work with other councillors to oppose the granting of licenses to mining companies in the county.
But he said the community needs to organise themselves to stand against mining in their area.
“We only have to look across the border to the community in the Sperrins in County Tyrone to see how effective community action can be in mobilising and putting pressure on local representatives to support them in their opposition to mining in their area.
“We can also look back to the early 80s when the Donegal community successfully opposed uranium mining in the same areas that are being suggested now.
Together we can win. Oppose mining in Donegal,” he said.
