Displaying items by tag: Protest

Ireland: A court has ruled that the Irish government need not pay legal costs for Environmental Trust Ireland president Michelle Hayes' challenge against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in mid-2022. Hayes unsuccessfully sued the EPA for issuing Irish Cement with a licence to use alternative fuel (AF) at its Limerick cement plant in May 2021. The AF will comprise up to 90,000t/yr of waste tyres, biomass and/or mining by-products.

At the costs hearing, the court noted that Hayes had already caused the EPA to incur 'very significant' legal costs. The court said that Hayes 'sought to have the taxpayer pay even more.' It added that, as a solicitor at Hayes Solicitors Limerick, which represented her in her unsuccessful challenge, Hayes stood to effectively benefit from any recuperated costs. The court concluded "It would mean that legal practitioners like herself are paid by the taxpayer for bringing environmental litigation which is unmeritorious."

Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has postponed a four-day hearing over Irish Cement’s alternative fuel (AF) licence application, scheduled for May 2020, to an as yet unspecified date due to the coronavirus. Under the terms of the proposed licence, Irish Cement will be able co-process a maximum of 90,000t/yr of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), including tyres, in the single dry line of its 1.0Mt/yr Mungret plant in County Limerick. The EPA said that emissions from operations under the terms of the licence ‘will meet all required environmental protection standards.’

Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in September 2019. The move attracted local resistance, with 4500 people participating in a protest on 5 October 2019.

The EPA has said that it will give all relevant parties notice ‘well in advance’ of the date of the rescheduled hearing, which will take place after the government lifts the country’s coronavirus lockdown. On 14 April 2020 County Limerick had 234 coronavirus cases out of an Irish total of 10,647.

Ireland: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scheduled a four-day oral hearing in which it will review Irish Cement’s application for a permanent licence to co-process a maximum of 90,000t/yr of tyres and other waste materials as fuel in the single dry kiln of its 1.0Mt/yr Limerick plant in County Limerick. Irish Cement received its preliminary licence to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in September 2019. The Irish Times newspaper has reported that 5000 local residents have since petitioned the EPA against permitting the practice, including ex-Irish rugby international Paul O’Connell and a former Love Island contestant.

The EPA said that emissions from operations conducted in accordance with the proposed licence ‘will meet all required environmental protection standards.’

Ireland: Irish Cement has been granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanala for its plans to burn tyres and tyres and solid recovered waste at its Limerick plant. Local councils originally approved the project in 2017 but this was appealed to the national An Bord Pleanala following local protests. Environmental groups say they will continue to fight the plan.

Ireland: An Bord Pleanala has decided to hold an oral hearing into Irish Cement’s plan to burn up to 0.6Mt/yr of mixed waste as an alternative fuel at its plant in Platin, County Meath. The hearing will take place on 21 November 2017 and local campaigners are hoping that a large number of local residents will turn out to listen to the submissions.

The North East Association of Environmental Groups say that the plans are 'flawed' and need to be critically examined in great detail before any planning permission or license is granted.

In a statement, Irish Cement that it was looking forward to setting out details of the application during the oral hearing. “This project seeks to replace existing fossil fuel use by increasing the quantity and range of alternative fuels used in the cement kilns in Platin,” it said. “This will reduce Platin's dependence on imported fossil fuels, reduce CO2 emissions by up to 0.3Mt/yr and will help recover valuable resources that might otherwise end up in landfill. It will allow Platin to continue to operate competitively and will support existing direct and indirect employment in the cement works.”

Colombia: Holcim Colombia says it will stop burning ‘toxic’ waste as an alternative fuel at its Nobsa cement plant following a campaign by environmental activitists. The cement producer has stopped burning plastics at the plant, according to HSB News. However, initial complaints were leveled at the use of pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial waste as fuels.

China: Eleven people have been detained in Yangchun, south China's Guangdong Province, after demonstrations against a project to build a waste incinerator adjacent to a cement plant turned violent.

Protesters said the demonstrations drew hundreds of people agitated over the risk of pollution from the project."How will we survive breathing in noxious smoke?" said one of the protestors.

Tension persisted for two days, with protesters saying that hundreds of people had been gathering near the gates of the cement plant.