THE lead campaign group opposed to Irish Cement’s plans to burn industrial waste at its production plant in Mungret is unlikely to pursue the matter in the courts as it would be too costly to do so.
Claire Keating of the Limerick Against Pollution (LAP) group told the Limerick Post they have been advised that an application for a judicial review of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to allow the development, would cost at least €100,000.
After six years of oral hearings and having received over 4,000 objections, the EPA finally gave the green light to the development on Tuesday, subject to over 100 conditions.
Irish Cement is now preparing to implement its plans to switch from burning fossil fuels to industrial waste including used tyres, and animal waste.
LAP and others campaigned against the development, citing fears over potential human health risks, a charge vigorously refuted by Irish Cement.
Limerick billionaire and philanthropist JP McManus attended oral hearings on the matter in 2017 while his daughter Sue Ann Foley, gave a presentation to the oral hearing last December, in which she outlined her objections to the development.
Ms Keating did not rule out the possibility of LAP seeking support from the McManus family to help fund a judicial review.
“The cost is the biggest thing. Who is going to help us come up with this money in a very short time frame? It’s a lot of money and we’ve been told we’d need at least €100,000.
I don’t think that we will be in a position to raise that kind of money unless someone comes in and provides it. We can help them out and pass over all of the work we have completed to date.”
“We haven’t spoken to Mr McManus. We haven’t had any contact with him nor have we reached out to him. His daughter is an objector so I’m sure she is considering where she goes next. She is a separate objector. She objected to the EPA licence and did a presentation at the oral hearing last December.”
“There has been no communication there, so we don’t know what their plan is or what they are willing to do. No one has reached out to us to say ‘yes, we will back you and we will pay for it’. Nobody has done that,” Ms Keating added.
Concerns around public health were fuelled after Irish Cement was prosecuted in the courts for breaching the terms of its industrial emissions licence.
In December 2018, the company pleaded guilty to a prosecution brought by the EPA, and was fined €4,000.
The company apologised after complaints of a thick “glue-like” dust leaking from the Mungret cement factory, causing damage to nearby homes, cars and gardens.
The court heard Irish Cement had three previous convictions for similar breaches of its industrial licence, including two in July, 2018, and one in 2007.
Welcoming the EPA’s approval, Irish Cement’s Mungret factory manager Pat Robinson said: “The entire workforce in Limerick is delighted that there has been a positive conclusion to this extensive review process. The EPA decision provides us with the opportunity to now switch away from the use of imported fossil fuels and play our part in achieving the 2030 alternative fuel target in the Government’s Climate Action Plan.”
“Important also, is the fact that this decision will help secure the future of the factory and is an endorsement of all the hard work being done by everyone on the team.”
“We will continue our work with the local community to help provide reassurance that switching fuels will be positive for the area and not negatively impact on air quality or the local environment,” added Mr Robinson.
A spokeswoman for the EPA said it had approved a licence “for the acceptance of non-hazardous waste materials to be used as alternative fuels and raw materials, up to a maximum of 90,000 tonnes per annum (subject to) more than 100 individual conditions relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the installation”.
