July 4th, 2019
The
Minister for Climate Action has said that his Department will
not
roll out a nationwide ban on smoky coal amid threats of legal
challenge by the coal industry.
Speaking
ont
he floor of
the Dáil today, Richard Bruton TD said that he was “disappointed”
that coal firms had taken the rout of legal pressure but promised to
devise a “legally robust” plan for improving national air
quality.
Fianna
Fáil’s James Browne TD told Mr
Bruton that a nationwide extension of the scheme was crucial and that
the State should not be intimidated by legal threats that have been
reiterated since the ban was introduced in
Dublin
30 years ago.
The
ban on smoky coal in
the capital was
rolled out three decades ago by then-Minister Mary Harney during her
tenure at the Department of State. The ban is
reported to
be
responsible for averting 8,000
premature deaths since its introduction,
according to the Department of Climate Action.
Acknowledging
the positive impact of the scheme in Dublin, he
said that
his Department was determined not to “jeopardise other schemes for
managing air quality” by rolling out a nationwide ban.
Mr
Bruton
said that he had sought legal advice on
the issue and
was working with the Attorney General on the matter. “We are
working hard to find a solution for [the new plan] to be legally
robust,” he said.
Earlier in June, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD said that a nationwide smoky coal ban was “delayed” due to threats of legal action, but did not rule out the possibility of its implementation in the future.
Climate
Plan
Responding
to queries regarding the newly released all-of-Government Climate
Action Plan, Mr Bruton told
Sinn Féin’s Brian Stanley TD that
he will
ensure that transitioning into a green economy would mean increased
sustainable job opportunities.
The
plan’s objectives also include a far-reaching reliance on renewable
electricity, with 70 per cent of all electricity planned to come from
clean, renewable sources by 2030.
Mr
Stanley said that the Department needed to increase its
apprenticeship and training programmes for sustainable jobs that
are
inclusive of workers and rural communities.
Mr
Bruton said that apprenticeship programmes were ongoing, but agreed
that more educational schemes needed to be introduced.
Referring
to the plan’s
promise of retrofitting 500,000
homes by 2030,
Mr Stanley said that the objective was “fantastic” but expressed
doubt as to the State’s ability in hitting
this target.
He
described the State’s track record in retrofitting as an influence
on his lack of faith in its capabilities for delivering its promises.
Acknowledging
Mr Stanley’s concerns as well as his Department’s track record
for insufficient “shallow-based retrofitting”, Mr Bruton said
that a new policy including
“better contracts” and “developing new skills” would be
adopted to meet the new objective by 2030.
Mr
Bruton also promised to ensure that the new retrofitting plan did not
adversely impact low-income households. Under
the new plan, homeowners can pay for retrofitting through higher
property tax or electricity bills.
Both Mr Bruton and Minister for the State Seán Canney TD said that a a committee responsible for the execution of the new climate action goals would be set up by the end of this month.
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