“It is important that we shine light into this darkness.”

The numerous safety and environmental concerns raised by residents at the LNG Terminals and along the pipeline were vindicated last Thursday when the European Committee of Petitions agreed to pass the whole issue to the European Commission for further investigation.

Members of the European Parliament sitting on the Committee sat in stunned silence as Rodney Maile, a resident from Milford Haven, laid out in graphic detail the potential consequences of an accident at the LNG terminals and jetty. While Liz Whomsley, a resident of Trebanos, in the Swansea valley showed, amongst many other things, how the lack of consultation in her area had led to the routing of a section of the massive pipeline through a geologically unstable area and even under a school playing field.

The remarkable proceedings, apparently unprecedented in the history of the Committee, were the outcome of more than 2 months of hard work by Euro MEP Jill Evans and her team, who unearthed breaches of up to 8 EU Directives. A cross-party consensus amongst the numerous political groupings on the Committee meant that it did not even have to be put to a vote.

Nevertheless, a diversity of opinions were expressed, and ordinary residents used to banging their heads against a wall of official silence sat in amazed disbelief as a full debate on the merits and de-merits of LNG unfolded across the floor.

A debate that has certainly never taken place on UK soil.

The LNG project has now been referred to the European Commission, as a matter of urgency. The Commission in turn will investigate the alleged breaches in more detail and report back to the Committee in February.