Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleague, Deputy Michael Colreavy, for introducing this timely and necessary Bill. The Government does not oppose its passage on Second Stage and while that is welcome, the Fine Gael mask on this issue slipped tonight in Deputy Michelle Mulherin's contribution. Not opposing the Bill is not enough. If the Government is sincere, it should ensure Committee and Report Stages are progressed and the Bill is enacted. However, we may yet have another cynical ploy on its part to allow the Bill to pass Second Stage but then shelve it, giving the public the impression before the local elections that it will be enacted at some future stage. While I hope not, I fear that may be the case.

In previous Dáileanna we warned of what was to come if the so-called "critical infrastructure" legislation of the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government was passed. It was designed to ride roughshod over the planning process, elected councillors and local and regional communities. One result was one of the most major planning scandals ever, namely, the Poolbeg incinerator project. Nearly €100 million of public money was spent on it and not one block was laid for an unnecessary incinerator that nobody wanted and against which the elected members of the relevant local authority had repeatedly voted.

If the proposed network of gigantic wind turbines across the midlands is allowed to go ahead, facilitated by that same strategic infrastructure legislation, it will be another massive scandal.

It is ironic when Fáilte Ireland and the entire tourism industry is trying to attract tourists, both foreign and domestic, to the less visited parts of Ireland that it is proposed effectively to industrialise significant swathes of the landscape across the middle counties of Ireland. It seems to be accepted by the so-called planners at national level that these landscapes are less attractive than lofty mountains and coastlines with cliffs and harbours that have expansive ocean vistas, and therefore these midland counties can be blighted with giant wind turbines. Only this week the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, opened a section of a new cycle and walking route planned to traverse the country, which will attract visitors and open less visited parts of Ireland. That is welcome.

The scale of what is planned is enormous but I doubt many people outside the affected communities realise the extent of what is to be imposed. We are talking about approximately 2,000 massive turbines across counties Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Kildare and Meath, and we should, just for a moment, imagine the potential impact. The supreme irony is that this is not to meet the demands for sustainable energy sources for our country but to generate electricity for export to Britain, with the private companies involved engaged in a purely profit-making exercise. The attempt to put a green gloss on this is just that, a cheap paint job in an attempt to disguise the ugly reality.

This Bill would ensure that sustainable energy generated through properly planned wind turbines cannot be exported abroad when this State has yet to meet its own sustainable energy targets. It would force companies wishing to develop industrial wind farms to advise, consult with and have proper regard for host communities. It would ensure local authorities could, by law, force companies to meet the cost of repairing or upgrading local infrastructure during the construction of industrial wind farms, and that the same companies were responsible for recycling wind farms when they were decommissioned.

Ultimately, we want to see a halt to the privatisation of our natural resources, including wind energy, and we want to see them employed to the collective benefit of Ireland Inc., or the people. Sinn Féin will continue to campaign for this Bill to be enacted and enforced after this debate.

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