Council places ban on 'fracking'
A LOCAL authority last night became the first in the country to agree to put in place a ban on fracking. The 32 members of Clare County Council voiced their complete opposition to fracking taking place in the county.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a controversial technique to extract natural gas from shale. It uses pressurised gas to crack layers of rock in an aim to release natural gas for commercial extraction. But Clare councillors voted to ban fracking in the county development plan, amid concerns about its environmental impact.
FORMER president Mary McAleese has agreed to have the Boyne bridge on the M1 Motorway named in her honour. A letter read to Meath County Council said she was "very privileged and honoured" at the support for the proposal.
The cable stay bridge on the Dublin-Belfast motorway spans the Boyne near Drogheda and overlooks the historic Battle of the Boyne site.
Irish Independent
