Results 1-20 of 23 for epa speaker:Alice-Mary Higgins

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...framework and vision. The national planning statement we will be speaking about for the next little while is an extraordinary and weird power grab, effectively, by the Government that sits separately. We are building this architecture on planning and we are all talking about it. There are local development plans and there are lots of problems with the architecture. However, to be...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Jul 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...that way. This will be when our marine ecosystems are lost and in some cases, they will be lost forever. The marine protected areas legislation is crucial. This amendment makes sure that we prepare for and get some sign of faith that it is anticipated we will have marine protected areas. We have one already and that is why it can be put in currently. We have Lough Hyne. The marine...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...of human rights and equality. Similarly, the Arts Council is interesting in that it has areas of research and has disbursed funding for research and could be doing so in partnership with this agency. I acknowledge that the EPA is present on the list, but the Climate Change Advisory Council has another function. Crucially, I wish to signal that I will be bringing an amendment on Report...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...,". In the Bill, there is an anomaly in the corporate plan of the agency. The Bill sets out that the corporate plan shall include the objectives, outputs and other strategies, and that, in preparing it, the agency consults with a number of key actors. On the key actors who are mentioned here, I believe there is a slight concern that the Bill may skew the shaping of that corporate plan...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: General Scheme of the Research and Innovation Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (16 May 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: On thee bodies, I am thinking of organisations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, which may not be funders but may be key partners. As all of those listed are funding organisations, there is a danger of losing those other key public partners. I apologise for interrupting.

Seanad: Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Mar 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...Stage. Senator Maria Byrne stated that this was just for keeping the lights on and existing businesses, but we know that extra energy capacity is being sought - this information came from the Department last week and I will keep referring to it for the record, as it is relevant - because the anticipated increase in demand next winter will be due to large energy users necessitating growing...

Seanad: Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Mar 2023)

Alice-Mary Higgins: The CRU comes before the committee and we take our scrutiny of it very seriously. The CRU also engages with Government Departments. One clear example is the Energy Charter Treaty. We have repeatedly asked the CRU if it is examining the implications of the treaty. We have been asking for three years. We have been constantly told that if the Minister required the CRU to do work or examine...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Engagement with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (13 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...that the Minister seems to have addressed. I hope the table on sectoral emissions ceilings in tonnage that has been given to the committee will be publicly available. Will the Minister confirm the EPA will be reporting in terms of the tonnages? As the sectoral ceilings become legally binding, will there be a review to ensure the EPA’s analysis captures and accurately measures all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Engagement with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications (13 Sep 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...into a single session. Are there plans to return to a position where each Minister reported? This would allow for more detailed scrutiny of the delivery of sectoral targets. I mentioned the EPA and measuring tonnages. We have had conversations on percentages. It is useful to have this grid in respect of tonnages and I wonder about measuring the tonnage impact of various things....

Seanad: Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...role in respect of ambitions on the climate action plan and the transition to an effective circular economy. However, there have not been measures that look to recycling, reuse, recovery and repair as being the alternative activities to mining in that regard. Again, I am going to push this on to areas such as gold mining in the north west, where we have seen very little gold in industry...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Fisheries (Commercial Fishing Licences) (Alteration of Duties and Fees) Order 2022: Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communictions (1 Feb 2022)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...of what the other 50% might be earmarked for. If I understand correctly, that 50% goes to Inland Fisheries Ireland. As the Minister mentioned, the other complementary part - the work of the EPA - is very important. Perhaps it would be appropriate for some of the other 50% of the revenue generated to be earmarked for the work of the EPA in regard to water quality in specific areas. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Jul 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...as a resource. I ask the witnesses to comment on issues concerning water usage and regulation of the commercial extraction of water. The CRU intersects with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, which is the environmental regulator. Therefore, how does the CRU engage in that endeavour, given the concerns around water usage? How is the regulator seeking to ensure that policy choices...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Reduction of Carbon Emissions of 51% by 2030: Discussion (Resumed). (29 Jun 2021)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...in terms of the global picture, because it is effectively something that could be a pure reduction in another place being added to our reduction. It is replacement. On the 2030 targets, the EPA has stated that Ireland needs to use flexibilities to achieve the current 2030 targets. However, those 2030 targets are approximately half of what we are likely to have in a couple of weeks'...

Seanad: Microbeads (Prohibition) Bill 2019: Second Stage (17 Dec 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...that he recognises this issue is not done and dusted but is, in fact, an evolving area. For instance, one of our Committee Stage amendments proposes that the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, should have a function to review these issues and seek to have further and strengthened legislation. This would offer a guarantee that the concerns and loopholes we are flagging now, even if...

Seanad: Microbeads (Prohibition) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...in some senses, innovative law is playing out in practice? The Minister indicated something about that on Second Stage but will he confirm that the Houses will have the opportunity to see a report from the EPA on these issues within 12 months of the Bill being passed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Renewable Energy - Wind, Solar and Biogas: Discussion (4 Dec 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...and 2017, and there are forecasts that we are in danger of continuing to breach the level. In Ireland, the Nitrates Action Plan has been hugely criticised by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, plus Ireland's rivers have breached the acceptable levels of ammonia and we know that we are in breach. The witnesses will have heard of some of the other concerns about the North but one of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Supporting a Just Transition: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Nov 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...the moment, we have heard that there are negotiations ongoing with the European Commission. That is around an enhancement beyond what the company needs to do as per the Environment Protection Agency, EPA, baseline. Is it the intention that regardless of how protracted the European Commission negotiations might be on that PSO, those 210 workers will be kept in employment long enough to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...issue. The UNFCCC has said that 1 tonne of methane is equivalent to 34 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Professor Howarth made a very clear point to the committee last week. It is interesting that the EPA does not measure carbon dioxide in its national emissions inventory, it measures carbon dioxide equivalent. Should we be measuring other greenhouse gases as carbon dioxide equivalent and...

Seanad: Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Apr 2019)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...11 I suggest that in addition to sharing a copy of the order with the various bodies mentioned in the Bill - the planning authorities, the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and so forth - a copy also be shared with the Joint Committee on Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I do not believe anybody would object to that committee having the...

Seanad: Annual National Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (4 Dec 2018)

Alice-Mary Higgins: ...stories about who is a worse polluter than ourselves, why we cannot be as good as somebody else, what special exemptions are necessary and why matters are more complicated for our country, our Departments or certain sectors. The position is complicated for every country, every Department and every sector and they must all grapple with this issue. Irish people are particularly adept at...