Dáil debates

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

4:22 pm

Photo of Jennifer WhitmoreJennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

All my amendment does is to say that the Minister and any relevant body shall in the performance of its functions have regard to the national mitigation plan, the national adaptation framework, the approved sectoral and adaptation plans, the national transition objectives and the objective of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. We all realise this is an emergency situation when it comes to our energy generation. I will also make the point, though, that we are also in an emergency situation when it comes to climate. The least we should expect from the Government now at this stage of our climate crisis is that when it is performing its functions and when any relevant body is performing functions on behalf of the Government, that regard should be had concerning the national mitigation plan, the adaptation framework, the national transition objectives etc. Having regard to is the minimum expectation.

This does not say these measures have to be applied or that they must be adhered to. It states they must be read, considered and perhaps even that notes be made and briefings given as to why these elements cannot be taken into account or why the Government is doing what it is doing. At that point, the argument can be made that the energy generation emergency is such that the Government is unable to do what I referred to. All I am asking, however, is that the Government have regard to those plans. Otherwise, there is no point in having them. What is the point in having the Act if it is just possible to override it with each subsequent item of legislation? It is disappointing that this is happening in the context of one of the first opportunities for this type of legislation. The previous Bill overrode the Planning and Development Act 2000 and now the Government wants to override the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 or discount it or say it is not important, that we are in such a crisis we are not even going to pay any heed to it. To say that the Government does not think the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, should have regard to the national mitigation plan in performing its functions is very short-sighted and undermines completely the role that the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 has and the importance we should be placing on it. I say this because we are now saying that what it says does not matter.

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