Tag Archives: Environmental Protection Agency

For Irish dairy farmers, water quality is central to their focus on environmental sustainability Dairy farming is at the heart of Irish life – products produced by 17,500 family farms (and the 60,000 people they employ) are exported to 130 countries, and contribute some €6.8 billion to the Irish economy each year. The industry is not, however, without its challenges. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies agriculture as a major contributor to a reduction in the quality of around half of Ireland’s rivers, lakes and estuaries. Across Ireland farmers are employing innovative technologies and practices that are designed to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint, both in terms of water quality impacts and GHG emissions. The goals are challenging, but the industry is changing to address them. Water quality is key. Sediment traps are placed at the bottom of sloping farmyards to catch rain and wastewater and trees like willow and alder soak up any nutrients that might run off …

THE government has never launched a “proper” investigation into the impact of the Rusal Aughinish alumina refinery on people and the environment, a local lobby group has claimed. A four-agency investigation team, which carried out work in the late nineties, concluded that environmental pollution, toxic substances in the diet, soil composition anomalies and herbage composition are all “unlikely causes of animal health problems” on two farms in the Askeaton area. The EPA-led investigation also stated an independent human health problem arising from atmospheric emissions in the area is “unlikely given that, since the mid-1980s, air quality measurements in the area have complied with EU standards”. In a wide-ranging address in Limerick on Saturday, Emanuela Ferrari from Future Proof Clare, alleged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) keeps granting licenses to major industries, while the Oireachtas keeps “favouring corporate power over people’s wellbeing”. She outlined the Rusal factory is the biggest alumina processing plant in Europe. Aluminium – and a lot of …

Call for action to protect town’s citizens CALLS have been made for an “action plan” to protect the people of Ennis after recent statistics showed air pollution levels 12 times higher than safe limits. Environmental Protection Agency statistics show the county capital suffering huge air pollution despite a smoky coal ban being in place. Councillor Johnny Flynn called for the plan, saying this “very serious issue” has not got the attention it deserves because of the focus on Covid-19. He has also pointed out that research has shown that the impact of air pollution on people’s health can exacerbate the impact of the virus. The councillor said more air quality monitors should be put in place that could warn people vulnerable to air pollution of any potential risks. At the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District the councillor asked for a review to be carried out into the causes of poor air quality in Ennis. He asked that the …

GRANTING a licence allowing Irish Cement to burn waste material instead of fossil fuels at its Castlemungret plant has been condemned as a “retrograde decision” by Deputy Cathal Crowe. The Environmental Protection Agency has given Irish Cement the green light to proceed with its €10 million plan to change its production process. In 2018, An Bord Pleanala granted the go-ahead to Irish Cement to construct the buildings, which would be used for the storage of the materials and the granting of a licence was a major boost for the company plans. This development, which supports 105 full time positions at the factory, has been opposed by a number of local environmental campaigners, Deputy Cathal Crowe and anti-incineration lobby group Limerick Against Pollution (LAP). Irish Cement has previously stated it is no plans to construct an incinerator and noted using alternative fuels is safe and has been standard practice in cement factories throughout Europe for 30 years. It has claimed extensive …

  THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to postpone the oral hearing to examine the objections and concerns raised in relation to the proposed licence issued to Irish Cement Limited, Castlemungret, Limerick. The oral hearing was scheduled to be held in May after the EPA issued a proposed licence on a revised licence last September for the continued operation of a cement manufacturing plant and an associated inert landfill at Castlemungret. Information in relation to the location and time of the rescheduled oral hearing will be notified to the applicant, all third parties who have made an objection on the proposed licence and the planning authority well in advance of the rescheduled hearing. The proposed licence provides for the acceptance of non-hazardous waste materials to be used as alternative fuels and raw materials, up to a maximum of 90,000 tonnes per annum. It contains more than 100 individual conditions relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of …

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has “reservations” with the method statement for phase two of the clean-up operation of asbestos pipes at a disused reservoir near a Kilkee man’s home, it has been claimed. PJ Linnane said unless residents living close to the dump sites are provided with a full method statement by Clare County Council, they will stop contractors from starting phase two of the clean-up work on Monday (tomorrow). “I met with some of the locals over the weekend and a decision was taken that if the council does not provide us with the documents, the only option open to us is to bar the site on Monday and lock and chain the access to the contractors,” he said. Clare County Council said in a statement that a medical report received by the local authority and made publicly available states there is “no evidence of risk” to the public, arising from the current state of the sites in …

Real-time air quality results for Clare are available on the Environmental Protection Agency website. Results are updated hourly on the website,ww.airquality.epa.ie and Clare residents can log on at any time to check whether the current air quality in their locality is good, fair or poor. In reminding the public of this resource, the EPA is urging Clare householders to consider air quality when making choices about home heating and transport, as both of these activities can negatively impact air quality in Clare. The appeal comes as the EPA has released their most recent air quality report, Air Quality in Ireland 2013 – Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality. The report indicates that while Ireland’s air quality is currently among the best in Europe, air quality remains at risk from emissions generated from driving, particularly in larger urban areas, and from the burning of domestic solid fuel for home heating, particularly in small towns and villages not covered by smoky coal …

The Enviormental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned that sites where hazardous waste was disposed of in the past should be identified, assessed and, where necessary, remediated. It is one of the matters addressed in the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan for the years 2014-2020, unveiled this week. The plan sets out the priorities to be pursued over the next six years and beyond to improve the management of Ireland’s hazardous waste. Dr Jonathan Derham, EPA programme manager said society has an important role to play to reduce the risks posed by hazardous waste to human health and the environment. “We need improved collection and treatment of hazardous wastes from households and small businesses. In addition, product manufacturers and distributers of products that are hazardous when discarded need to take a greater role in the life-cycle management of these wastes, including prevention,” he said. The plan makes 27 recommendations, including the one in respect of remediation of sites where hazardous waste has been …