Democracy goes up in smoke along with those toxic chemicals
The people of Cork and Meath - and indeed other areas around the country - have stated unequivocally that they do not want incineration.
This Government has made it quite clear that they are hell-bent on forcing incineration on us before exploiting all avenues of the waste hierarchy which they are supposed to do under EU guidelines.
They refuse to explore other mechanisms of dealing with waste, which can be disposed of naturally without side-effects such as toxic ash which we will be left with under incineration.
We must take a good hard look at the EPA. We must look at the most senior appointments to the EPA over the last few years: what background these people came from, what type of portfolio they had previously worked on?
The EPA stated that it was satisfied that the proposed plants would not endanger human health or harm the environment in the vicinity of the facilities or a wider area.
How can the Environment Protection Agency make such statements when:
(a) They do not have the facilities to analyse any such tests?
(b) They are currently undermanned?
(c) Toxic chemicals have to be sent abroad for analysis with a three-week minimum wait for results?
Many senior medical professionals have said that they have major problems with incineration and that we should not be discussing safe levels of anything that can cause cancers.
One of the senior planners in Cork County Council agreed with CHASE as did the chief inspector in the Bord Pleanála hearing.
In the face of all this, how can the EPA make such a decision?
We in South Kilkenny and Waterford fully support the people of Cork and Meath in their fight against dictatorship and injustice.
Larry McCarthy
Chairperson
Safer Urban Rural Development
Drumdowney
Slieverue
Co Kilkenny
