Cllr Keith Martin has warmly welcomed the Decision by Natural Resources Minister Eamon Ryan to refuse Prospecting Licences to a company which would have allowed them to search for gold over a large area of South Mayo.
"This is a great victory for Paddy Hopkins and the Mayo Environmental group and for all the groups, organisations and individuals who made submissions opposing gold mining in the area. The proposal to prospect and mine over such a large area was a threat to our eco-system and to our tourism industry and I welcome the decision by Minister Ryan and congratulate him on making the correct choice. I would also acknowledge the hard work of Edel Hacket of the Mayo Greens in lobbying the minister.
"I have opposed this mining venture from the very beginning because of its impact on the Special Area of Conservation, the Holy Mountain of Croagh Patrick and because of the possible impact on the ecosystem of the area. Gold mining uses poisons such as arsenic to extract gold and any mining would have been very detrimental to our tourism industry as our unspoilt environment is our greatest asset."
Cllr Keith Martin was the proposer of a Resolution by Westport Town Council opposing the prospect of mining in the area.
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