CHASE Press Release - 20 November, 2006
GOVERNMENT IN CAHOOTS WITH INCINERATOR INDUSTRY
HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE APPOINTMENT Destroys Confidence in AN BORD PLEANALA
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Yet again the Government has appointed a member of industry with direct links to proposed incinerators to a key decision making position. On Friday last 17 November, Minister Dick Roche appointed Conal Boland of RPS Consulting to the Board of An Bord Pleanala.

RPS Consultants advised Dublin City Council in relation to the Poolbeg Incinerator, a case which is currently being considered by An Bord Pleanala. RPS Consultants were formerly MC O’Sullivan Consultants and have been responsible for advising on various levels of Waste Management Plans that promoted incineration.

This appointment comes on the heels of the appointment of Ms Laura Burke as a director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in July 2004. Ms Burke came directly from employment by Indaver Ireland as Project Manager for the Meath and Ringaskiddy, Co Cork Incinerators.

The continuous seeding of persons with vested interests on State Appointed Boards erodes confidence in the transparency of the EPA and An Bord Pleanala, and makes a complete mockery of claims to be independent. It is an ill-judged sign of desperation to place such individuals in positions where independent assessment is a supposedly required.

“The cosy cartel which seems to exist between the government and the incinerator industry leaves us in no doubt but that the independence of An Bord Pleanala and the EPA has been seriously compromised. Philip Jones, Senior Inspector for An Bord Pleanala recommended on 14 different grounds that the Ringaskiddy Incinerator be denied planning, which was overturned by the Board in the interests of ‘national policy’. When a Board has such clear vested interest, what is the point in having an Inspector at all? The whole planning process is rapidly descending into a cynical validation process," said a spokesperson for CHASE.

The relentless pursuit by Government of this dinosaur policy makes a mockery of its KYOTO Commitments. The incinerators proposed in Ringsend, Ringaskiddy and Meath which combined will burn 900,000 tonnes of waste p.a., will result in an extra 900,000 tonnes p.a.of Carbon Dioxide being released into the atmosphere. Penalties for this will cost the Irish taxpayer stg£72million. This is an embarrassment for the Irish nation, particularly when awareness of global warming is at an all time high, and governments have been warned strongly by the recent Stern report to ignore this at their peril.

The Ringaskiddy Incinerator has two cases at the High Court. A case against An Bord Pleanala has been granted a hearing and awaits a date, and a case against the EPA awaits a preliminary hearing.

ENDS

For further information:
Mary Hurley, CHASE PRO, 021 4813070 086 8162448
Mary O’Leary, CHASE Chairperson, 021 4811952 086 8177737
Linda Fitzpatrick, 021 4374506 087 7410849