EPA APPOINTMENT HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE

High Court Application Deferred for Another Week

Members of CHASE are extremely concerned at the inappropriate appointment of Ms Laura Burke as a Director of Environmental Enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because of the potentially huge conflict of interest.

Ms Laura Burke has been employed by Indaver Ireland as Project Manager to oversee the planning, construction and operation of the 100,000 tonne hazardous waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, as well as the 100,000 tonne municipal waste incinerator at Carrenstown, Co Meath.

A spokesperson for CHASE said “Ms Bourke has spent the last 3 years extolling the virtues of incineration and the necessity of the Cork and Meath incinerators. How is she now going to turn around and put an independent face on with regard to incineration? She is far too directly and immediately linked to the incineration industry to be placed in a position where independent assessment of EPA License applications for the Cork, Meath and any other facilities will be required.

This appointment is highly inappropriate, does nothing for the transparency of the EPA and raises question marks of collusion between government, industry and the EPA, at the expense of the health of the Irish People.”

Today at the High Court, the case being taken by 11 individuals and Ringaskiddy Residents Association was deferred for a further week until Fri 23 July, at the request of the applicants. The applicants requested the adjournment in order to consider a point regarding an undertaking given by the IDA to Ringaskiddy Residents that there would never be a waste disposal facility located in the Ringaskiddy Area. This was given in writing when the Raybestos Manhatten Asbestos dump was closed.

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For further information contact:
Linda FitzPatrick, CHASE PRO Tel: 021 4374506 Mobile: 087 7410849