ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP LEFT OUT

NEAEG wanted to hear Cement plans for Platin site

THREE observers from the newly formed North East Association Environment Group (NEAEG) claim they were denied access to a presentation by Irish Cement to Louth County Council last week.

The meeting took place Wednesday 21st December in Dundalk and involved Irish Cement presenting their plans to burn 600.000 tons of mixed waste, as replacement fuel for their plant in Platin, between Duleek and Drogheda..

The NEAEG believe that this waste has a major toxic component, as they intend to burn, Tyres, Sewerage Pellets, Meat / Bone Meal, Hospital Waste, Etc.

Chair of the Environmental group Pat O’Brien says that they were told in advance of the meeting that three of their members would be allowed to attend meeting, as public observers, but on arrival were refused entry to the meeting, which was then deemed closed to only politicians and Irish Cement. Nine out of 29 councillors attended.

The group expressed their bitter disappointment and asked that the company ‘debate these plans in a proper open transparent fashion.’

They want Irish Cement to engage in a forthright manner with local residents, the wider community, especially within the greater Duleek, Drogheda, East Coast areas.

Calling yet again for Irish Cement Ltd to hold a ‘proper open forum public meeting’, and to suspend their current planning application while doing so, Michael O’Dowd from the Environmental Group also questioned why the meeting was held in Dundalk rather than in Drogheda.

Also speaking for the group James Levins stated that as a local community environmental group they would hope that among Irish Cement’s New Year resolutions would be to suspend the planning application and hold a ‘proper open public meeting and within that to further discuss their plans in greater detail, and to do so in an open, transparent, democratic way’.

‘No point in moving from one problematic fuel type to another, that may prove in time, to be every bit as problematic, or worse, than the original type,’ he added.‘

Olan Herr also of the NEAEG stated that the aim of the campaign is not to shut anybody down, or to cost anybody their jobs, but to protect people’s health and their environment going forward, And within that to have proper independent monitoring, regulations and control systems to be put in place.

He is also seeking an EPA office locally and wants ‘full consideration to all alternatives to the plan.’