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Licensing/Permitting and SACs
Posted 13/01/2011

 

Prior to the Waddenzee judgement, Natura Impact Statements (formerly Appropriate Assessments) under the EU Habitats Directive were taken to apply to new plans and projects only. Following the judgement all applications for new permits or licenses, as well as reviews of existing permits or licenses, require assessment when a SAC (Special Area of Conservation) or SPA (Special Protection Area) may be impacted. This applies to IPPC Licenses issued by the EPA and Trade Effluent Permits issued by a Water Services Authority as well as other authorisations.

ODS Refrigerants - A Reminder
Posted 17/12/2010

Ozone depleting substance refrigerants received a lot of attention a number of years ago. However some of the target dates have recently passed and others are only a few years away.

For non-critical uses the following are the main phase out dates for CFCs and HCFCs;

Ireland fails to comply with IPPC Directive
Posted 03/12/2010

 

EU Council approves Industrial Emissions Directive
Posted 14/11/2010

 

Environmental Liability Directive – How should industry prepare?
Posted 15/10/2010

 

The Environmental Liability Directive was brought into force in Ireland through SI 547 of 2008. An Environmental Liabilities Bill has also been drafted. The following points need to be made;

 

EEA Launches NEC Directive Status Report 2009 – NOx a major issue for Ireland
Posted 28/09/2010

 

In 2010, around half of the European Union's Member States expect to surpass one or more of the legal limits set by the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NEC Directive). The annual status report recently released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) confirms that 11 countries anticipate an exceedance of their ceilings for NOx.

EPA Launches New Environmental Indicators Website
Posted 24/09/2010

 

The EPA produces the ‘State of the Environment’ report every 4 years. One of the recurring issues for the report is what indicators should be used for the assessment. The EPA has launched a new section to its website http://www.epa.ie/environmentinfocus/ where these indicators are highlighted. Its useful in that it gathers in one location a diverse array of publications on environmental policy and impact.

Consultation on Draft Waste Policy Closing Soon
Posted 19/09/2010

 

Politics and waste management have never been closer than they are these days. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DOEHLG) has issued 3 consultation documents in the recent past. These documents will have an impact on every sector but the implications for the waste industry will be immense. The documents are;

EPA Issues Licence to Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant
Posted 04/08/2010

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a waste water discharge licence for the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The licence has been issued to Dublin City Council (lead authority) and the joint applicants Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and Meath County Council.

BAT – A short history in Ireland
Posted 04/08/2010

The BAT concept and its application are crucial to the IPPC licensing process in Ireland. The following summaries the journey to date;

The IPPC Directive 96/61/EC (in a draft format when the EPA Act 1992 was being finalised) lays down a framework requiring Member States to issue operating permits for certain installations carrying on industrial activities described in Annex 1. The Directive applied to new or substantially changed installations with effect from October 1999 and no later than October 2007 for existing installations.