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Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment
(CHASE) have today lodged their appeal against the decision of the
Environmental Protection Agency to grant a waste licence for the Ringaskiddy
Incinerator, and have requested an oral hearing of same.
The objection shows the licence to be inadequate,
differing from the original planning application, and non-compliant
in a number of areas with WHO guidelines and EC legislation. Points
raised include:
- More hazardous waste means higher
risk plant
Indaver originally submitted incorrect waste categories to the EPA.
Indaver then changed their characterization of waste and moved non-hazardous
wastes into their proper hazardous category, meaning more hazardous
waste. This should move the facility to a higher risk tier under
the Sevesco Directive with a blast zone of typically 1.5km, and
more stringent criteria to comply with, and should be assessed as
such under the planning process.
- Increase in waste to be burned
In Jan 2004, An Bord Pleanala granted planning permission for a
single, 100,000 tonne hazardous waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy.
In their waste licence application to the EPA, Indaver applied for
permission to burn 300,000 tonnes of waste per annum in two incinerators.
The EPA's draft licence permits burning of up to 215,260 tonnes,
in two incinerators. This exceeds by 115,000 tonnes the tonnage
specified in the plant's planning permission and licences a second
incinerator for which plannning permission has not even yet been
sought.
- Premature granting of licence for
MUNICIPAL Incinerator
A licence has been granted for a municipal incinerator for which
planning permission has yet to be applied for. This is an underhand
attempt to slip Phase II of the plant, i.e. the municipal waste
incinerator, in through the back door, and should not be allowed.
It again raises the question of vested interests with ex-Indaver
staff working within the EPA.
- Inadequate bond will leave taxpayer
to foot clean up bill
Indaver Ireland proposes to only partly fund a clean up operation
in the event of an accident, leaving the taxpayer to fund the rest.
The Euros12.5m bond offered to fund clean up operations in the event
of an accident is completely insufficient given that in Belgium
in 2000 a food contamination incident cost the national economy
Euro500m.
- Flooding after issuing of licence
invalidates data given
New data emerging after the licence was granted, by way of the floods
of 28/29 October, showed the flood water levels at 2.85m (i.e. 0.2m
above floor level). Ground floor level in the EIS is given at 2.65m
(Ordinance Data) OD with flood levels are given as 2.55m OD using
Malin Head Datum. The new flood levels show the site to be clearly
unsuitable under WHO guidelines, and the site should be reassessed
using the new data.
A spokesperson for
CHASE said, “The original application for a waste licence was
misleading and manipulative and should be declared null and
void. We are seeing a licence issued for a higher risk plant, burning
higher volumes of waste, and more hazardous waste than we were originally
led to believe, underwritten by a lower clean-up bond than should
be expected.
By right the whole application, with the new
facts, should be resubmitted for planning permission. This would have
the additional benefit of allowing health and environmental issues
to be raised under the new planning act.”
----- ENDS ----
For further information contact:
Linda FitzPatrick, CHASE PRO Tel: 021 4374506 Mobile: 087 7410849
Mary O’Leary, Chairperson, CHASE Tel: 021 4811952 Mobile: 086
8177737
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