News from down the country

national | environment | news report Tuesday April 14, 2009 20:23 by Contaminated Crow

Two landfills, a sludge treatment plant, a LNG terminal and powerlines

Members of Cavan Better Waste Management met the EPA’s director of environmental enforcement last week to discuss their concerns over the Corranure landfill and reported after the meeting that Corranure has been the cause of more complaints than any other landfill site in the country for the period January to March 2009. (Cavan Post 7/4/09, p.5).

Ballinasloe Environmental Alliance has dismissed the response by OneBio Ltd. –which is seeking permission to establish a sludge treatment plant next to Premier Proteins’ rendering plant at Poolboy- to a request for further information from Ballinsaloe Town Council, saying ‘it certainly goes no way to alleviate the fears upon which our objections are based’. (Connacht Tribune 10/4/09, p.15).

The EPA is reported to be planning to take fresh legal proceedings against Clare County Council regarding its management of the landfill at Ballybegduff, near Inagh, Co. Clare. (Clare Post 7/4/09, p.2).

While the EU Petitions Committee has found that the government followed all planning procedures correctly in relation to Shannon LNG’s gas terminal, the Committee is now considering new issues placed before it by Johnny McElligott on behalf of Safety Before LNG (SBL), which said in a statement ‘The SBL group highlighted what it sees as a pattern of questionable behaviour by LNG developers throughout the Union. The group asked that the EU monitor and regulate more closely the specific challenges posed by the LNG industry.’ (Kerryman (sic), 8/4/09, p.31).

North East Pylon Pressure (NEPP) has accused EirGrid of releasing a ‘misleading’ press statement regarding the two days of talks between the company and NEPP last week, stating ‘EirGrid’s statement does not characterize the proceedings of the two days either accurately or fairly. It is irresponsible on their part to mislead the many thousands of supporters of NEPP who did not have direct access to what actually went on.’ (Meath Chronicle 11/4/09, p.3; Northern Standard 9/4/09, p.27).

A judicial review brought by EirGrid of an amendment to the Monaghan County Development Plan regarding high voltage lines has deemed it unlawful. The County Manager was criticized at last Monday’s County Council meeting for failing to enter a defence to the proceedings. (Northern Standard 9/4/09, pp. 1,14).

Last week a delegation from NEPP briefed the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Environmental Committee on the case for placing the powerlines for the north-south interconnector underground. (Northern Standard 9/4/09, p. 27; Meath Chronicle 11/4/09, p. 17).

EirGrid has published details of its preferred route for the proposed north-south interconnector, stretching in Co. Monaghan from Anayalla to the west of Doohamlet, passing between Lough Egish and Shantonagh before passing into Cavan to the east of Shercock and on to Kingscourt. The Mayor of Co. Monaghan denounced the political motivation behind the announcement, saying ‘an EirGrid representative told me that the news would help elected representatives, as the families and landowners affected would be reduced when three proposed routes become one preferred route, thereby containing political opposition to the plans’. (Northern Standard 9/4/09, pp.1,2).