The full article in today's Irish Independent can be read by clicking here: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/green-leader-in-secret-meetings-over-second-incinerator-for-city-1426003.html but the most shocking points are summarized below:
- Under questioning from Sen. Frances Fitzgerald it emerged that GREEN ministers John Gormley and Eamon Ryan held 'secret' meetings with representatives of a US company seeking to build another incinerator in Dublin which would compete with the planned Poolbeg incinerator in Mr Gormley's own constituency.
- The consultant with which Minister Gormley met was one Anne Butler, an environmental consultant. This is the same Anne Butler who was head of the Environmental Protection Agency for 10 years. The Environmental Protection Agency is the same agency which has responsibility for waste and emissions licensing and monitoring.
- The Department of Defence has given the developers of the incinerator, Energy Answers, an undertaking that it will not object to the incinerator which is less than five kilometres from the Baldonnel aerodrome.
3 comments:
This is bull!
Having attended the large meeting recently I thought that the issue of a meeting with John Gormley had been clarified.
I found it quite difficult on the night to get a chance to respond to Frances Fitzgerald's claims (and literature handed out) at the meeting, but when I did I pointed out the following:
- Ministers meet all sorts of groups, including those whose opinions they do not share.
Contrary to the newspaper article, this was not kept a 'secret'; no press statement was issued because there was no decision being made.
Now I cannot comment on the newspaper's decision to run an article based on a response to a parliamentary question. They are entitled to do this.
But what I am most concerned about is the bias in this blog, where the blogger refers to the "most shocking points" being summarised below in the article.
How are they shocking when this was already known to the blogger as I explained it already at the meeting.
This just reinforces the misinformation and attacks on the Green Party as witnessed by a certain anonymous leaflet going round and backed up by Frances Fitzgerald's own mischievous leaflet where she implies that John Gormley opposed Poolbeg but won't do anything about Rathcoole.
(BTW Ms Fitzgerald was on the Council when FG councillors adopted an incinerator for Dublin in the waste management plan! This is what made Poolbeg possible. The Greens voted against this plan)
The reality is that the Green Party has always opposed incineration, the new Minister is working to change the old FF/PD Government policy favouring incineration (which does not happen overnight) and locally the Green Party is working hard to support the Rathcoole community in opposing this application.
This is in spite of snipes from this blogger and other clearly politically motivated attacks on the only party with a 100% record of opposing incineration in every vote taken.
I am not going to let my frustration get in the way of doing my job, but it annoys me big time to see this sort of crap.
I would have been in a position to respond publicly in advance of this latest rubbish except there was a family bereavement which shut everything down, particularly as the deceased was the late Mayor of South Dublin, Cllr Billy Gogarty, which meant no Council rep in situ to cater for my absence.
But I am responding now in the strongest terms:
Stop the subtle sniping and let's try and work together to achive the desired result.
Paul Gogarty
Dear Paul,
In fairness to this blog, your comments relate to the Irish Independent article rather than the blog, but out of courtesy we'll post a "heading" alerting people to your response. You must understand, however, that shock still felt locally at the level of pre-application consultation when we now have such a short time to object to this fast-tracked proposal.
RAID
If Incineration is above board why has Covanta apparently hired the Ten Year ex-EPA-Ireland Director to promote incineration at both Poolbeg and at Rathcoole?
With DCC having already spent €19 million on behalf of Covanta to promote the proposed Poolbeg Incinerator why was this apparent conflict-of-interest not effectively communicated to the public?
Why is Energy Answers operating from the Virgin Islands?
Why is Covanta-Poolbeg HQ'ed in Luxembourg?
Why is there no on-line detail of pollution available for the Dublin Region? Deniability for a legal tick-box?
Why are there NO professional scientific surveys of deadly PM2.5 particles?
http://galwaytent.blogspot.com/search/label/PM2.5
____________
Contrast: DCC's political air quality 'science' and sums of percentages.
Enforcement example: Chromium-6 sure we didn't know.
Where was the EPA?
And why?
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