News from down the country

national | environment | news report Saturday September 27, 2008 20:23 by Contaminated Crow

Water extraction, wind farm, telemast. rehabilitation at last at Gortmore and latest from the National Miners Group

Members of the Shannon Protection Alliance are to march to the Dail on Wednesday to show their opposition to the proposed extraction of 350 million litres of water a day from the Shannon for Dublin city. Joe O’Donoghue, chairperson of the Save Our Lough Derg (SOLD) group said the focus of the proposed extraction had changed from Lough Ree to Lough Derg after a vehement campaign of opposition by communities around Lough Ree to the proposal. Kevin Grimes of the Lough Derg Anglers’ Association, which also opposes the project, said ‘There are 16 counties bordering the shores of the Shannon and that adds up to a huge amount of communities whose environment and livelihoods and quality of life could be hit if this goes ahead.’ (Source: Nenagh Guardian 27/9/08, pp.1,3.)

A proposed wind farm at Bonniconlon, north Co. Mayo, which has just been granted planning permission is likely to be subject to an appeal to An Bord Pleanala. The proposal for a 12 turbine, 276 megawatt wind farm met local opposition, with over 20 submissions on the issue sent to the local authority. (Mayo News 29/9/08, p. 6)

Residents of Bray, Co. Wicklow who contacted An Bord Pleanala in May 2007 over the erection of a 140-foot mast at Bray garda station, some of which is used for mobile telecommunications, have just been informed by the Bord that the mast is not exempt from planning permission. Furious residents, who held a meeting about the mast last year, had been told that the mast did not require planning permission as it was exempted development. (Source: Bray People 24/9/08, p.2)

Work has started on rehabilitating the 150-acre toxic tailings pond at Gortmore, near Silvermines, Co. Tipperary, where mining company Mogul dumped waste tailings from its lead and zinc mine until the early 1980s, after a campaign by local residents over the last two decades. The government has pledged to spend 10.6 million Euro on the rehabilitation, of which 1.8 million has been released to North Tipperary County Council for the first phase. Local residents, who have had to put up with toxic dust blowing from the surface of the tailings pond for the last 25 years, claim elevated rates of cancer and other illnesses exist in the area, while several cattle died from lead poisoning. Michael Leamy, chairperson of the Gortmore Environmental Action Group, said ‘This is the best thing that has happened for our community in a number of years. Looking back, I think it would never have happened if we had not brought our campaign onto a national stage.’ (Source Nenagh Guardian 27/9/08, p. 23)

At a meeting in Portlaoise on Saturday 20th September 2008 the National Coal Miners Group (NMG) called for the setting up of a compensation tribunal for miners suffering from exposure to coal dust particles. The NMG also decided to examine the possibility of taking a test case to establish state liability for injuries and loss suffered by coal miners. ‘There is a moral, as well as legal, case for compensation for people who ensured this country was self-sufficient in energy resources, who worked in some of the most challenging work environments known to man (sic), who paid a massive price in terms of their health and who in some cases gave their lives’ said NMG spokesperson Gerry O’Connell. (Source: Leitrim Observer 26/9/08, p. 4A)