The incinerator: what you can do
Now that Dublin City Council has applied for permission to build a waste incinerator at Poolbeg, residents may be wondering what they can do to help defeat the proposal. I include below some details on making submissions to An Bord Pleanála and the Environmental Protection Agency. My office has confirmed today that the EPA received Dublin City Council’s licence application yesterday, July 10th. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any queries, or if you would like to be kept informed on this issue.
Any member of the public is entitled to make a submission on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lodged with An Bord Pleanála, and on the waste license application lodged with the Environmental Protection Agency.
EIS - A copy of the EIS may be inspected free of charge during office hours at Dublin City Council’s offices at Wood Quay or at Cambridge Road, Ringsend. You can also purchase a printed copy or an electronic copy on CD. The electronic version is also available for download at www.dublinwastetoenergy.ie.
There is no fee to make a submission on the EIS at this stage. Simply write to The Secretary, An Bord Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1 before 2nd October 2006. Your submission should clearly state that it is in response to the EIS lodged by Dublin City Council for the proposed “waste-to-energy plant” at Poolbeg. You should also include your full name and address. Only commments on the EIS and planning matters related to the proposed plant will be considered. If you need any advice in preparing a submission, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Waste licence - A copy of the waste license application can be obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PO BOX 3000, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, phone 053 916 0600, or on their web site at www.epa.ie. The EPA will accept submissions on the licence application from any member of the public up until the time they issue their proposed decision. There is no fixed time period for a decision to be made, so submissions should be made as soon as possible. There is no fee for making a submission at this stage, but if you subsequently wish to object to the proposed decision there is a fee of €200.
Michael McDowell has said that he will be making an objection to An Bord Pleanála, but any citizen can do the same. Most citizens, however, do not have the opportunity of sitting in Cabinet when the Government’s waste policy is being decided!