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MANAGEMENT AT ESB are to close two peat-burning plants in the midlands after planning permission was refused by An Bord Pleanála last year.
It is believed up to 80 jobs will be directly affected with a further 1,000 Bord na Móna workers who rely on the plants also impacted.
The ESB had sought planning permission from An Bord Pleanála for its West Offaly power station to transition from peat to biomass over a number of years starting in 2020 but the application was rejected.
Today, the semi-state body said it has carried out a review of the West Offaly and Lough Ree power stations and has decided to shut them down in december 2020.
In a statement, it said: “Having considered the key planning, environmental and commercial issues associated with peat and biomass, regrettably there is no viable business model beyond 2020. Therefore both stations will cease the generation of electricity.
“Given our long history of power generation in Shannonbridge and Lanesboro, this is a matter of significant regret for ESB.
“ESB very much appreciates the commitment of our staff and the support of the broader community over many decades during which ESB, in strong collaboration with Bord na Móna, played a key role in the development of the economy in the midlands.”
Management will now begin liaising with staff in preparation of the closure.
It added that in addition to the Government’s €6m allocation to the Just Transition Fund for the midlands, which was announced in Budget 2020, the ESB said it will also make a further contribution of €5m.
Peat is used at three plants in Ireland to generate electricity.
The accelerated exit from peat will mean that at least 1.25 million tonnes of carbon will be saved each year and emissions will reduce by up to 9 million tonnes up to 2027.
In a statement following the announcement of the plants’ closure, Climate Minister Richard Bruton said a plan is in place for the transition for workers and for regions affected by the move away from peat burning.
“I am acutely aware of the impact that an accelerated exit out of peat will have on workers and the Midlands region more broadly. We are bringing forward a number of initiatives as part of our Just Transition Plan,” he said.
“The government prioritised just transition in the recent Budget, including a number of measures which will help ensure the transition which Kieran Mulvey, in his role as Just Transition Commissioner will now co-ordinate to ensure we secure long-term, sustainable employment for the Midlands.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson for Climate Action said the news of the plant closures “without any alternative arrangements in place is nothing short of a betrayal of the workers and their local communities”.
“Both the ESB and the government promised that alternative measures and a just transition would be in place before any decision to close would be taken.”
“That, it appears, is now off the table, delivering a devastating blow to the 80 ESB workers affected and the 1,000 Bord na Móna workers who rely in no small measure on the plants,” he added.
Deputy Denis Naughten said that he is seeking an “urgent meeting” with the Taoiseach and Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment over the closures.
“This decision will have a devastating impact on not only those who will lose their jobs but on the region as a whole. This decision will have the same impact on the Midlands that any loss of Google would have in Dublin,” stated Naughten.
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Whatever your thoughts on the man. This is banana republic stuff. America is in the toilet, no moral high ground under its feet.
@K P: It is not Banana Republic stuff, it is upholding the L-A-W law. “We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favour, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”
@K P: Totally agree , and for once an intelligent comment with no childish name calling or behaviour
@A Well Known Comical Stereotype: as they see fit, numerous previous presidents got off scott free for war crimes like Bush with Iraq and Obama’s reliance with drones that killed MANY civilians.
@Kieran Menon: Sitting presidents are a different matter and, whatever the rights and wrongs of what they did, they did not attempt to overthrow US democracy. Trump’s attempt at insurrection is what qualifies him.
@Brendan O’Brien: disqualifies him, I mean.
@Kieran Menon: Waging war on other nations is not unconstitutional.
Insurrection is.
@K P: The only aspect of the whole Tiny saga that in any way qualifies as banana republic is that he is out and about and not behind bars for the danger he has caused to multiple innocent people doing their jobs to enforce the law. It is inconceivable that any single other citizen of the US would be free if they did the same. It is somewhat understandable though as he has cultivated such an army of low information, high anger individuals that their reaction would be too unpredictable. So the proven rap ist, fraudster and insurrectionist is free to terrorise people who work within the justice system.
@K P: With Giuliani losing the defamation case (to the tune of $148 million), Trumpy must believe he will lose those cases too.
The US justice system moves very slowly, but all these cases are coming to fruition.
@K P: Allowing someone like trump back into the White House would be banana Republic stuff.
@K P: there’s a few people here who show their bias quite openly. Fact is, Trump we never tried for sedition and has never been convicted of it. If he was he’d be in jail. Second fact be is that an all democrat state Supreme Court deemed he acted seditiously without a trial to disqualify him from the general election. Qui bono? The democrats. I don’t particularly like the man, but I find it hilarious the double standards when it comes to the current muppet in the seat. Third fact, the US supreme cpirt will find that they misinterpreted the 14th Amendment. Its plain to see.
@Kieran Menon: trump outnumbered obama in drone strikes by 432%.
@K P: another word salad of nonsense I’m afraid. Is Trump on trial for trying to overturn the results of a free and fair election or not? Why hone in on the basically unproveable criminal charge of sedition? We all know he’s a seditionist, just like we all know he’s a rap ist. Just because the bar of criminal proof is too high on one and the statute of limitations ran out on the other doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Juries, judges and supreme courts in multiple jurisdictions have ruled that we can indeed call Tiny a proven seditionist and rap ist. And as to double standards, the usual both sides BS when you can’t defend your man, name a single credible criminal charge that can be brought against Joe Biden. Facts only please.
@Setanta O’Toole: In one term.
Versus Obama’s 2 terms.
(Not that these drone strikes are to be condoned.)
@K P: of course thats not vaguely true.
However when the utterly corrupt SCOTUS let’s this wouldbe dictator back on the ballot you can repost your comment and it will be accurate.
@K P: Refusing to accept the result of a free democratic vote is pretty much what a banana republic would do
@A Well Known Comical Stereotype: so that stands for laws LAWS that are morally unjustifiable. Thanks
@Bobby Digital: listen to yourself. Your hatred is blinding you. The amendment is to bar those who mounted an insurrection, acted seditiously, against the USA. It’s not about overturning elections, and secondly, he hasn’t even been convicted yet so there’s was no grounds on either part to bar him from the GE. Man grow up, I’m not a trump supporter,
I am a realist dealing in facts. Clearly all you see is a shade of rage filled Trumpian orange. Hatred will blind you to actual facts. But you keep making up reasons why the court was correct
@K P: ha ha, trotting out the TDS nonsense now? Point out any emotion in my posts, it’s all facts which have no emotions at all. Whereas yours are almost all opinions. You have one fact in your posts. When you say you’ve no opinion on Tiny, do you believe he’s a rap ist? Because he is. A jury and a judge have decided he is. I have no opinion on the man is a strange thing to say about a rap ist, don’t you think?
This will probably be over-ruled by the Supreme Court, for similar reasons by which other states have ruled a President or Vice President are not specified in the relevant sections of the Constitution. Apparently it only applies to those “appointed” to official office. Still, it was a nice Christmas present all the same. Thank you Supreme Court of Colorado.
@Numinous20111: The US SC might very well not overrule them.
Trump has put a number of people onto that court who think they are gods.
And with lifetime appointments, they can behave as gods for the remainder of their lives.
The major risk to their power is another fascist Trump term.
And they don’t need him anymore.
It does demonstrate that the right-wing of the US SC do what they want, with no regard to the constitution or norms.
@Numinous20111: the 14th amendment applies to anyone who took an oath to uphold the US constitution, which trump did in 2017 when he was sworn in as president, not sure about the SCOTUS, the constitution also says that states run their own elections, and he’s only barred from the primary at the moment not the general election
Not a Trump supporter but the deep state really don’t want ‘Bad Orange man’ to run, they really don’t.
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: trump made up the ‘deep state’ so you are a supporter
@Stevie Doran: The deep state was there well before Trump took office. That deep state killed their president in 63!
@David: and I thought the shops ran out of tin foil because it was Christmas
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: You do support Trump though.
@Stevie Doran: The President was hit in the throat, that bullet blew out the rear right portion of his skull, His wife is then seen scrambling to the rear trunk of the car and picks up pieces of his skull, she later handed said pieces to doctors. This on it’s own proves that the man was hit from the front, which in turn disproves the lone gunman.
There is also another fact kept very quiet…3 hitmen (one the father of a Hollywood actor “that can’t jump”), all 3 were hitmen for a crime organization of Italian origins, these men were arrested in a railroad car just up the street from the murder and were seen running towards the train.
Putting “tinfoil hat” in with the rest of your ignorance doesn’t add up to anything…facts are what count!
There is a 2023 documentary called “what the doctors saw”, if you can see past your own bias, it is well worth a watch. (the doctors were/are not conspiracy theorists either!)
@Jimmy Wallace: I’ll give you one plus Jimmy, Trump isn’t the brightest bulb in the shop hence why he’s so unpredictable, the deep state hate unpredictability, they prefer their leaders to be pliable and manageable, Trump doesn’t fit that mold. Is he the right leader for America, God no, but the tropes you came out about him lends me to believe you take your talking points from the MSM so in that case he’s the perfect leader.
@David: well done on solving a mystery that has had no definitive answer for 60 years, despite intense scrutiny and investigation by all and sundry.
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: the ‘Deep State”, such as it is, consists of those billionaires that own US politicians.
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: Read your own comment back to yourself, hopefully you’ll see the absurdity of suggesting that Trump is the “perfect” man to be leader because Jimmy Wallace takes his talking points from MSM.
@Michael Burke: I didn’t solve anything. I am stating the facts of what has been covered up for decades. The President is seen grabbing his throat with both hands. He is also seen moving backwards and up to his left indicating (through physics) that it was a frontal shot from his right. His wife is then seen scrambling to the back of the car and picking something from the boot.
Why do you think it is a “mystery” if it is so Black ‘n’ White?
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: Anyone with more than 2 brain cells doen’t want him in the Whitehouse again. The ones who do are to dumb to realise his actions will affect them too.
@David: You’re not stating any facts whatsoever. Go and look at the autopsy report. It’s very detailed and with actual photos and drawings detailing the trajectory of the bullets.
@Jimmy Wallace: God help America if Trump wins and God help America if Trump loses! Has anyone tried unplugging America and resetting?
There was a lot of finger-pointing at Democrats in the comments here for something Donald Trump and only Donald Trump was responsible for…
Remember, no one forced him to incite an insurrection, he mad the conscious decision to do so, and thereby violate the plain text of the US constitution all on his own.
Trump wanted to lead the party of personal responsibility…
Perhaps he should consider taking some.
@KTH: “go peacefully and patriotically”
@mainmsam: …and overthrow the US constitution.
You left out that bit.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: have you a clip to that part of the speech please? I must of missed that bit
@mainmsam: The courts have made a finding of fact that Trump engaged in insurrection.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: so no you don’t have a clip do you? You’re making things up
@mainmsam: Check “colorado-judge-finds-trump-engaged-in-insurrection-but-keeps-him-on-ballot” on NPR.
A court made a finding of fact that Trump engaged in insurrection. That was appealed up to the state SC, which arrived at where we are now.
So, no, I am not making things up.
I am just informed.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: has he a date to present at a prison?
@mainmsam: You really should stop posting now.
You are just demonstrating your complete lack of knowledge, which must be embarrassing.
@mainmsam: looking forward to hearing your rationalisation of him directly qouting hitler at a rally the other night Sam.
@mainmsam: so this is the second provable crime committed by Tiny where you’re on here defending him again. If this is you as a not supporter I’d imagine if you were a supporter you’d nearly be filing amicus briefs.
Conpletely meaningless, will be elevated to the supreme court in Washington which will reverse it due to the court being majority republican. A meaningless charade that’s a waste of everybody’s time.
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: anything that reminds people of the roles people played on that infamous day is never a ‘waste of time’
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: doesn’t it show how screwed the country is by the fact that the courts are deciding based on policital leaning rather than the law.
@Gerry Ryan:
All it does is entrench both sides.
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: and by that measure then the whole state Supreme Court legal structures are completely meaningless …
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: the polarisation of american politics and one side controlling the house and another the senate makes for many meaningless charades.
Just shows how terrified the left is, and how
Trump is awful, but he is a legitimate candidate, and should be allowed to run.
@Paul: Don’t conflate the Democratic Party with the ‘left’ they are libtard, virtue signalling, woke ideologues, there’s nothing left about them.
@Paul: He is not a legitimate candidate. He is a failed insurrectionist.
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: The US Democratic Party is right wing. That Americans regard them as left wing is laughable.
They would fit in nicely with European right wing parties like the Tories.
The US Republican Party is far right, tending to fascism.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: ask any democrat politician one question and you’ll see what side they fall on. What is a woman!
@mainmsam: Obsessed much?
@mainmsam: OK, mainmsam, I’ll bite.
What is a woman?
@Brendan O’Brien: it’s a simple question Brendan with an easy answer yet no democrat politician can answer it correctly = left wing
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: adult human female
@mainmsam: And what is an adult human female?
And don’t reply ‘woman’.
That would be just a circular definition, which would show you really do not know.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: a ridiculous question even for you. Adult human male = man adult human female = woman. They both are responsible for you and I being here. Without either we cease to repopulate the planet
@mainmsam: So you are unable to say what a woman is.
All you have is circular definitions, with no understanding at all.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: a female of the human species buddy it doesn’t get any easier than that
@mainmsam: No it doesn’t = left wing. Social protection, free health care and education, progressive taxation = left wing.
@mainmsam: And what is a female, mainmsam?
Come on.
We’ll get there.
@Typical Journal Commenter: Are you certain?
Are there certain traits which are generally regarded as feminine?
Is the feminine brain different than the masculine?
Have you noticed that women run differently than men?
And sit down differently?
And have a different voice pitch?
Do women have a different endocrine system?
But thank you for showing us all that mainmsam hasn’t a clue about women.
Which, in fairness, we could have guessed.
@Typical Journal Commenter: @Typical Journal Commenter: On the contrary, I was offering you an opportunity to accept reason with some grace on your part.
What you might regard as the feminine have better capabilities in some areas, such as communication.
Communication abilities reside in the brain.
Therefore what you would regard as the female brain is different than the male brain.
There are many differences that you could point out between what you would regard as the female and the male.
Another is speech timbre, with your idea of the male having a deeper voice than your idea of the female.
But DNA is constantly being altered. That is what results in evolution.
One result is that there are what you would define as males with what you would regard as female traits, and what you would define as females with what you would regard as male traits.
Some such females have very deep, male-like voices, and some such males have much higher pitched voices.
Are there differences in the endocrine system? Yes to that as well. Some of what you would regard as one sex have much lower levels of those hormones, and much higher of the hormones you would consider belonging to the opposite sex.
Look at Trump as an example.
He has a pretty feminine voice.
And maybe his small – em – hands are due to higher levels of feminine hormones and lower levels of the masculine.
Now, what would you label someone of one sex with the mind – created by evolutionary DNA changes – of the opposite sex?
Much ado about nothing. He’ll be on the ballet. Asking people to be peaceful and patriotic is now a crime. They try way to too hard
@mainmsam: The court made a determination of fact that he engaged in an insurrection.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: and they’ll lock him up when? This goes to the Supreme Court and is overturned. You know it I know it the dogs on the streets know it
@mainmsam: The case was about his right to be on the ballot. The possible outcomes are:
1) He has a right to be on the ballot
2) He has surrendered his right to be on the ballot
Incarceration was not a possible outcome from this case.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: his rite to be on the ballot ok, how did you think that was going to work out in a Democratic run state
@mainmsam: As pointed out already, this is based on legal finding of fact.
A finding of fact that can now be used by other courts in other states.
@Jimmy Wallace: I just got that.
:)
@mainmsam: the suit was filed by 6 Republican lawyers from the Lincoln project, a conservative group
Comments are open on crucial issues abroad but not at home❓❗️
Are we slowly facing despotism in Ireland?
@No Label: that’s how North Korea started. People weren’t allowed comment on an news app.
@No Label: because people can’t behave themselves regarding issues at home. It’s a private website, if you want to go X where the far right seem to call home these days
@alan scott: Or is it simply that some topics are verboten here?
That is how it seems.
@No Label:
So The Oirish Lite must still be having ‘technical difficulties’ with it’s brain scutter echo chambre for you spineless EDL/UFF wannabe goons ehhy! ;@}
@Martin Mongan: ya it was terrible that those 1950′s news apps had their comments sections closed
Fantastic news
@Mel Fitzpatrick:
Yes but certain to be overturned so all a bit pointless.
@P.J. Nolan: Oh, withut doubt lad but at least it’s just another chip at him.
He’ll not run next time.
Well done, far less than what the founders would have done with the likes of trump
Remember how all the far left dipshoots were saying how a second Trump term would threaten World Peace.
Meanwhile under Sleepy Joe the Middle East is aflame, and Russia has invaded a country fast tracked for EU membership.
But the libs blame Trumpy!
@Paul: Biden did not invade Ukraine.
Biden did not spark conflict in the ME.
Trump was (and is) a russian puppet, working to undermine NATO, and giving russia opportunities to restore its empire.
Biden is standing against russian tyranny. Trump is a Putin supporter.
@Paul: you’re blaming the wrong guys, the groundwork for both wars was laid long before Biden or Trump ever got into office.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: even you know that isn’t true & as you are fond of saying has been legally proven to be In fact a lie. The guy who investigated Trump is now allegedly a Russian asset
@mainmsam: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/fbi-official-who-helped-launch-trump-russia-probe-sentenced-to-four-years-in-prison-for-work-with-russian-oligarch/
I’ll take back the “allegedly”
@mainmsam: The Muller report – for one – clearly showed that the russians helped Trump win the White House.
I’d well believe that the FBI is riddles with russian supporters.
Which does not change that Trump is a russian asset.
@Paul: excellent point, Paul
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: No, the Americans started that before he was in office.
Clutching now, the witch hunt is running out of steam, Trump 2024, hon the Don!
@Boris Blank: It’s not a witch hunt when you’re Own Monkeys are Flipping on you! “Fly my precious!”
Interesting
One of many. I’m looking forward to what about hunter and the laptop comments. Biden is not a great president but saying that he’s better than a far right, populist, authoritarian wannabe dictator trump
Good news.
Make no difference if this is enforced or rejected by the SC. It’s a state with 13 electoral votes and it’s a democrat blue state. Zero impact on the vote.
@Paul whitehead: But it can feed into similar cases in other states.
@Paul whitehead:
Fair point but it triggers the case in the US supreme court.
Highly unlikely Trump would lose that,
But if he did……
Then things get real interesting
@P.J. Nolan: It doesn’t trigger the US Supreme Court unless Trump appeals the ruling.
He would be foolish to do so, in my opinion.
Democrats try to ban Trump? Who’d-a thunk it!
@Dave Grant: If only Trump had not engaged in illegal, unconstitutional, behaviour…
Ah well.
@Dave Grant: you’ve almost figured it out…
Republicans have – on thousands of occasions – told you Trump was corrupt, racist, incompetent, and mentally ill.
But they want power FAR MORE than they care about the damage it does to the country.
So…
All I can be sure of, is that when Trumpy gets back in, my Fidelity 401k will be worth about $4 million.
LETS GO BRANDON!!
@Paul: Did you invest in Truth Social?
That’s going down the toilet too.
Like so many of Trump’s businesses.
@Paul:
True but the demise of NATO, the end of Murican ‘Dumb-Mockricy and his ongoing bitter feud with Bibi the Butcher will be the real prizes!!
are there candidates that oppose sleepii joe? because all these dnc journoz don’t report about them… libtarddd…!! trump trump all they got..
@Bass Boss: if an incumbent wants to run within a party then they are automatically that partys candidate. Same as no republican primaries last time with Trump. Not a conspiracy, just the system
@Colm O’ Shea: that’s not so Colm. RFK jnr took a run but dropped out
@mainmsam: Didn’t he run as part of this new ‘No Labels’ party?
(A party set up by Republicans to try to divide the Democratic vote.)
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere:
That was Joe Manchin.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: no he didn’t he ran as a Democrat
@mainmsam: And then as an independent.
“I know your pain, I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to GO HOME NOW . We have to have peace. We HAVE TO HAVE law and order. We have to RESPECT our great people in law and order. We DON’T want anybody hurt.
It’s a very tough period of. There’s never been a time like this where such a thing happened where they could take it away from all of us — from me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t PLAY INTO THE HANDS of these people. We have to have PEACE . So GO HOME. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil.”
I know how you feel, but go home, and go home in peace.
@thomas molloy: Yea.
He said all those things.
After his coup had failed.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: You have swallowed the media bias. Trump’s exposure of pre election bias was misreported as something else.
Hardly surprising.
From the point of view of the rule of law, and common decency, then this is a good thing.
From the point of view of the upcoming election, it might well be a bad thing.
Trump is detested by so many that his name on the ballot would energise many who might otherwise not vote.
Biden is far more likely to win against Trump than another Republican candidate.
And Republican presidents are always bad news.
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: he was never going to win that state anyway
@mainmsam: But this is a legal judgement that has made findings of fact.
Which, in turn, can be used by other courts in other states.
Happy Xmas everyone. One less worry for the world if this nut got in again.
GOOD!!!! Exactly what this thuggish individual needs. Hopefully other States will do likewise.
Just to be clear to all the MAGANUTS outhere…You don’t need a conviction to be removed!!!
Hopefully other states follow suit and the US finally flush the tango turd once and for all.
Colorado is a democrat state anyway, Trump get feck all votes out of em…
have your say