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Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan has contacted the
national electricity company, EirGrid, over the possibility
of changing the route of a €600 million pipeline to avoid
the town of Rush in north Co Dublin.
Work on the interconnector pipeline is due to begin in the
town in the coming weeks, despite the protests of Rush Community
Council which opposes the development because of health and
safety concerns.
In a meeting recently, Mr Ryan assured the council that he
would communicate their concerns to the State company before
work starts in the town. A statement from the department confirmed
that Mr Ryan raised the matter with EirGrid
and said the company had pledged to address any concerns directly
with the council.
The recent meeting was also attended by Trevor Sargent TD
who said EirGrid had already applied to have part of the pipeline’s
route altered and could again make “slight variations” to
change the existing route.
EirGrid was granted
permission by An Bord Pleanála last year to build
the East-West interconnector pipeline between Ireland and
Wales. The pipeline will be placed one metre (3.2ft) below
ground and will run underneath the main road in the town.
The council argues that it is the “shallow depth” of the
pipeline that presents a continuous health risk to people,
as the pipeline will run adjacent to a national school and
residential homes.
Previous correspondence between the council and EirGrid shows
the company has addressed health concerns through the evidence
of Dr William Bailey, an American research scientist and consultant
who is paid by the company.
The council is refusing to accept the evidence provided by
Dr Bailey because they say he is being “paid to advance the
arguments” of EirGrid and is not “in a position to provide
impartial information” to resolve the issue.
A spokeswoman for EirGrid said Dr Bailey has more than 25
years experience in the evaluation of research for scientific,
governmental and private organisations, but would not disclose
how much is spent on his services.
Dave Sheehy, who is a member of Rush Community Council, said
the company had sent letters to local residents that contained
misrepresenting information about the units of radiation emitted
by the interconnector pipeline.
When quoting the World Health Organisation, the company replaced
the statement 'inadequate evidence' with 'no evidence'
to support claims that humans are not affected by magnetic
fields, according to Mr Sheehy.
“If EirGrid cannot adequately address concerns relating to
the community’s health and safety, then what faith can we
have in their ability to address more serious problems or
issues that could occur in the future,” Mr Sheehy asked.
Source - The Irish Times
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