The siting of the proposed Corrib gas refinery within the catchment of a water supply for 10,000 people was strongly challenged by Leo Corcoran, of An Taisce, on the third day of the Environmental Protection Agency's oral hearing, in Belmullet, Co Mayo.
He also accused Shell E&P Ireland of breaching codes of practice applied throughout Europe, while Rossport Five's, Micheál Ó Seighin highlighted significant discrepancies in figures used for projected annual emissions from the refinery.
Frank Clinton, the chairman, said Mr Corcoran's allusion to Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey's issuing of consents without using a code of practice was not relevant to the hearing. However, he asked in what jurisdiction were they effective.
"It is a farce if these codes of practice are not mandated. They must apply to highly hazardous infrastructure and are used anywhere in Europe, in the UK, in Norway. They mightn't happen in Nigeria," said Mr Corcoran, who is due to make An Taisce's submission today.
Cross-examining Shell expert witness James Garvie, an air quality specialist, Mr Ó Seighin said the original planning application in November 2000 had cited annual emissions of CO2 at 69,840 tonnes.
When the same project was reapplied for in April 2001, the emissions had been reduced by 20,839 tonnes or by about 30 per cent. Mr Garvie told yesterday's hearing the terminal is predicted to emit about 38,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
"Where does the spin end and the science begin?" asked Mr Ó Seighin. Mr Garvie told the hearing that rigorous air-dispersion modelling had indicated that all emissions, including cold-venting, will not have a significant impact on human health, animals or plants.