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The Green Party publishes today a
14 point plan for improving the protection of Ireland's environment.
The Party called for the increased funding and powers for the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but stated that the Agency
role needed to change. The Party called for an all-island structure
for environmental protection and enforcement, and called for an
independent appeal process for the granting of Integrated Pollution
Control Licenses.
Speaking at the launch Green Party Leader Trevor Sargent TD
stated: "Ireland's environment is one of the country's greatest
assets. It deserves the highest level of protection. Our tourist
industry, our food industry and our future all depend on the highest
standards of environmental protection. That is why we are seeking
stricter controls over emissions, and greater penalties for
polluters.”
Green Party Environment Spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD stated:
"We are calling for the establishment of a special Environmental
Court so that more polluters are indicted and brought to the higher
courts to face serious justice to match their crimes. Currently the
EPA takes most environmental offenders to the district court for
summary offences where the maximum fine is €3,000. These fines are
derisory. The average fine imposed by courts where the EPA
successfully prosecuted offenders in 2005 was only €2559. When the
Office of Environmental was established in 2003, it was billed as
being an "office with teeth". More resources were going to be put
into enforcement than had previously been the case. However the rate
of prosecutions and fines remains both inconsistent and very low.
"Local Authorities need to be more closely monitored by the EPA. In
recent times we have seen County Councils discharge liquid waste in
sensitive waters such as ClewBay. Clearly improvements are required.
We believe that Local Authorities should face the same licensing
regime as private companies.”
Green Party Deputy Leader and Dáil candidate for Carlow-Kilkenny
Cllr. Mary White stated: "The EPA needs significant reforms. We
want to ensure that the Agency takes full account of the impact of
proposed developments on human health. The current powers of the EPA
only extend to environmental protection, but we believe that impacts
on human health need to be central to its remit.
Green Party Fourteen Point Plan for Environmental Protection
1) Ensure greater coordination between, environmental regulation and
planning control.
2) Establish a formalised structure for the integration of
environmental and human health assessment, monitoring and decision
making capacities.
3) Change in Advisory Board appointment procedures of the EPA.
4) Establish a forum of appeal for the Integration Pollution
Prevention and Control license system.
5) The development of an all-island structure for environmental
protection and enforcement.
6) Enact the provision in the Environmental Protection Act to
subject local authorities' sewage treatment activities to an EPA
licensing regime.
7) Establish a definition of contaminated land in Irish
environmental law.
8) Review levels of fines and sanctions available to courts.
9) Increase consistency and severity sentencing in environmental
court cases of and the establishment of an environmental court.
10) Measures to address delays suffered by parties to judicial
review litigation.
11) Allocate additional resources to the EPA, with a particular
emphasis on investment in monitoring and enforcement activities.
12) Introduce annual audits of local authority environmental
performance and invest in local government environmental enforcement
capacity e.g. training, consistent approach to enforcement, minimum
inspection criteria and best practice.
13) Access to environmental justice and the right to participate on
environmental decision-making.
14) Establishment of National Environmental Action Plan. |
CiaranCuffe.com,
or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.