Plans for a national ban on harmful smoky coal have been delayed by the Government amid legal threats from the coal industry. The ban on smoky coal was first promised by Labour’s Alan Kelly in 2015, when he was minister for the environment. It confirmed in recent weeks that a number of firms had threatened legal action if it went ahead with the ban. MisgivingsThe first solicitor’s letter to the department on the issue was sent in 2015, while correspondence with solicitors, fuel firms and officials continued through to last May. Andy Maher, who has invested €3 million in a new smokeless fuel plant at Stafford Fuels in New Ross, said he was “very disappointed” with the decision.

Source: The Irish Times April 04, 2019 23:26 UTC