Sir, – While welcoming the overall thrust of the Editorial (April 23rd), I want to make it clear that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have a policy that favours economic growth and that moves the EPA away from its environmental watchdog and policing role, as suggested in your Editorial. The EPA will continue to play its central role in protecting Ireland’s environment for all of the people.
The EPA has repeatedly stated – most recently last week with the release of its greenhouse gas projections – that Ireland needs to develop as a low carbon economy and that, in order to ensure that future economic growth is sustainable it must be more resource efficient. The type of economic growth envisaged by the EPA is very different to the resource intensive and carbon intensive growth of past decades. Low carbon and resource efficient growth is entirely dependent on a clean and well protected environment.
In addition to its core licensing, enforcement, monitoring and research roles, the EPA also has an important role to play in supporting and nurturing the growth of a low carbon and resource efficient economy and will continue to encourage debate and discussion in relation to this important issue. – Yours, etc,