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Protest Stalls Energy Giant in Rural Ireland - Farmers' Jailing Over Gas Project Fuels Sharp Debate
Five farmers from these wind-swept coastal boglands have been locked up in a Dublin prison for nearly three months for blocking construction of a $1.1 billion natural gas pipeline and refinery by the Shell oil group...the farmers and their supporters...said the pipeline puts their homes in grave danger. They said it would pass within 70 yards of many houses and incinerate whole families if it exploded...Top officials at Shell and in the Irish government say the Corrib project is good for Ireland, safe and environmentally sound. They say the farmers are required by Irish law to allow the pipeline to be laid on their property. [also refers to Statoil]