Leading Trainer Says €200m Incinerator Will Harm Thoroughbreds

From The Irish Independent 22 July 2008

A CHAMPION racehorse trainer has said he is confident a planning application by a US company to build an incinerator will be rejected.

Ted Walsh, who trained English Grand National winner Papillion, has said the incinerator "makes no sense whatsoever". Energy Answers International (EAI) is seeking permission to build the €200m waste facility in an old quarry off the N7 at Rathcoole, Co. Dublin.

If it goes ahead, it will handle 365,000 tonnes of waste annually. But Mr Walsh has expressed serious concern for the welfare of racehorses in Co. Kildare if the plans go ahead. "Horses are very susceptible to all things. Punchestown and Naas racecourses are just up the road. We have Goffs and there are 25 stud farms within seven or eight miles of the site -- it would definitely make life very difficult for us."

Mr Walsh is hopeful that An Bord Pleanala will consider the objections of the equine industry to the massive incinerator. "I think An Bord Pleanala do things pretty well and they have to hear every application as part of due course." Labour TD Emmet Stagg has lodged an objection with the planning board against the incinerator.

In his objection he highlighted how the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dail that the overall requirement nationally for incineration was in the order of 400,000 tonne per annum in the next seven years and that "in the eastern region at present capacity was double that with 800,000 tonnes provided for in Carnstown in Co Meath and at Poolbeg".

Mr Stagg also said the scale of the furnace would lead to "substantial emissions" close to residents living nearby. "These toxic emissions will pose an unacceptable risk to people and there is no safe threshold for carcinogenic emissions."

He outlined other concerns on increased traffic and of the impact an incinerator would have on the equine industry in Co Kildare.

"There are eight stud farms and horse training facilities in Co Kildare within 5km of the proposed incinerator.

The incinerator would seriously damage the environment of these facilities and would be incompatible development, similar to the recent proposal at Coolmore."

- Eimear Ni Bhraonain

Paul Gogarty TD Reacts to Yesterday's Irish Independent Article

Paul Gogarty, TD, has reacted to the Irish Independent article of the 3rd July posted here earlier. His views may be read in the 'comment' field at the foot of that post.

Article in The Irish Independent

Green leader in 'secret' meetings over second incinerator for city

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.

The Minister for Defence can - and should - be contacted at the e-mail address below to inform him of how inappropriate this was: minister@defence.irlgov.ie