CAMPAIGNERS BLOCKING TOXIC CORP

Campaigners in County Cork, Ireland have forced the state into a corner over the planning application for a 100,000 tonne hazardous waste incinerator.

An application to the Irish High Court for a review of the state planning board's decision to grant permission to Indaver, a Belgian corporate, to build the incinerator in Ringaskiddy in county Cork has been adjourned twice and will now be heard on June 11.

The High Court application has been made by a group of 11 individuals along with Ringaskiddy Residents Association Ltd. The group allege that the planning board has breached
provisions of the Irish Constitution and EU law as well as the recently adopted European Convention on Human Rights Act.

Indaver sent an appeal to the planning board when Cork County Council initially rejected the incinerator. The application to the courts follows the hierarchical decision of the planning board to overrule the senior planning inspector who presided over the appeal and advised the
rejection of the incinerator. The planning board said their reason for not accepting their own inspector's advice was because incineration of waste is 'national policy'.

The campaigning group, Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (CHASE), have the support of over 30,000 people. Linda Fitzpatrick, their spokesperson, said: 'CHASE
has run a people's campaign, and sees Ireland at a junction currently where we have a choice about the future direction of the country as a whole. Our number one industry is tourism, and we have an image built around 'Ireland of the welcomes'.

'It is not built around Rhur valley type polluting industry which may prove to be unsustainable in the long term anyway as wages rise relative to developing economies. It is unacceptable that we let this type of industry develop as a knee jerk reaction to government mismanagement of waste over decades.

'We must bite the bullet and implement 21st century solutions to waste management, which is what CHASE is actively promoting.

'We are told that old incinerators were a disaster, but that modern ones, which use the same technology but improved filters, are safe. We were also told that nuclear power was safe, that lead was fine, asbestos and smoking were once safe too. People are quite simply not willing to
take the risk because there has been a fundamental breach of trust.'
=====
BLUE: http://www.bluegreenearth.com