The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
New calls for probe into chemical plant
Campaigners have restated their call for a full independent study into the impacts of a Fife chemical plant after Scotland’s environmental watchdog said it was convinced flaring will be the “exception rather than routine”.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said on Friday it believes there is now a “clear pathway to compliance” for the Mossmorran industrial complex following years of unacceptable flaring, with a £140 million upgrade due to start at the Fife Ethylene Plant next month.
That will happen after final warning letters in 2018, the submission of a report to the Crown Office for consideration of prosecution in July 2020 and a series of stringent regulatory requirements and permit variations on site operators Exxonmobil and Shell.
However, members of the Mossmorran Action Group – which has called for the site to be decommissioned after years of unplanned flaring incidents – remain sceptical about Sepa’s influence after the outcome of a peer review by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) was published.
James Glen, chairman of Mossmorran Action Group, explained: “The IEPA review was the result of the thousands of complaints received by Sepa in the last few years from local residents affected by emergency flaring at the plant.
“Long overdue upgrades are now being made partly because of the threat of legal action from Sepa, and we recognise that Sepa is limited by law in its regulatory function.
“It’s good to see Sepa maximising its regulatory role, but the Scottish Government is still failing to play its part by commissioning an independent expert study into the social, health and environmental impacts which the plant’s neighbours have endured since 1985.”
Terry A’hearn, Sepa chief executive, said: “Communities across Fife have the right to a future where flaring is the exception rather than routine. Robust regulation takes time but through our work and the significant investment by site operators, hope and a clear pathway to compliance is now in sight for local communities.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in October that the Scottish Government would consider an inquiry but “cannot simply cast aside ongoing legal processes”.