The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, was yesterday urged to sack the board of the ESB if it proceeds with its planned High Court appeal against Cork County Council's rescinding of planning permission for 84 pylons across Cork Harbour and east Cork.
The call came from two Cork East Labour councillors, Mr John Mulvihill and Mr Joe Sherlock, who warned that a huge legal bill following the appeal would ultimately go to the taxpayer.
"Cork County Council have hired a second senior counsel and are very serious about winning this case, but in the event of us losing it there are other options open to us such as the Supreme Court and Europe," said Mr Mulvihill.
"I don't expect us to lose the case and I don't expect we will have to go that far, but we are very determined because it's not just the pylons that are at stake here but the whole issue of local government."
Mr Mulvihill was strongly supported by Mr Sherlock, who said the council was determined to ensure that the democratic wishes of the people who elected them were followed through and the plans to erect the pylons were abandoned.
Mr Mulvihill said Ms O'Rourke could not wash her hands of the issue by saying that the ESB was a semi-State company with its own board of directors and she could not intervene in the day-to-day running of its affairs.
"Is it the board of the ESB or is it the Government of the day? Minister O'Rourke appoints the board of the ESB, and they are answerable to her and if they don't adhere to the wishes of the Minister, she has the authority to sack the board," he said.
Mr Mulvihill said Ms O'Rourke and the Taoiseach had a responsibility to the taxpayers to ensure their money would not be wasted as it would be if the ESB proceeded with a costly and protracted legal appeal of the county council's decision.
Mr Sherlock said the people of east Cork were not opposed to industry, but there was an alternative route available via an underwater cable, part of the cost of which could be offset by the savings from dropping the appeal.
Mr Mulvihill said the council had not taken the decision to rescind planning permission lightly. "We are one of the most responsible local authorities in the country when it comes to motions such as this," he said.