Seanad debates
Wednesday, 5 February 2003
Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).
What I welcome most about the Bill is that it seems that it will provide more serious enforcement and that facilities responsible for emissions and unacceptable smells and which have bad day-to-day operations will, if necessary, be closed down. I do not believe that sensitive, environmental facilities should be entrusted to people who have a bad environmental track record and who are courting ongoing problems for which there does not appear to be redress. I would certainly like the EPA to adopt a tougher approach. This may be quite wrong, but I have heard a comment attributed to a member of the EPA to the effect that it has never closed anything down. I am not sure that is a very proud boast. If facilities are causing serious pollution, they should be closed down.
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