Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

343 Chapter 13: Environment and Industry Topic Box 13.5 LEAP Online LEAP Online 14 provides enhanced online public access to regulatory records issued or received by the EPA, subject to certain exceptions provided for in law, including the General Data Protection Regulation, the Freedom of Information Act and Access to Information on the Environment Regulations. These records are the formal compliance and enforcement correspondence exchanged between the EPA and holders of EPA licences and permits. The regulatory records that can now be viewed online include EPA site inspection reports (and licensee responses), air, water and noise monitoring returns and annual environmental reports. LEAP Online has greatly improved the public’s ability to learn about licensed activities in Ireland, and it provides operators with an effective way of communicating with their neighbours and the wider community. The portal’s development complies with Article 5.3 of the Aarhus Convention to: “ensure that environmental information progressively becomes available in electronic databases which are easily accessible to the public through public telecommunications networks.” LEAP Online provides access to regulatory records for the current and prior 7 calendar years. It covers integrated pollution control (IPC), IED, waste, waste water, dumping at sea and radiological licences/ permits. The upload of regulatory records to LEAP Online is deferred for a period of 30 calendar days following their acceptance or issue by the EPA. LEAP Online is hosted on the ‘Our Services’ tab on the EPA website (www.epa.ie) . 14 leap.epa.ie/confirm?returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fleap.epa.ie%2F (accessed 15 July 2024). 15 www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/industrial-emissions-directive-key-figures/ (accessed 15 July 2024). 4. Emissions from industry The IED currently regulates more than 50,000 industrial installations across Europe, including 650 in Ireland. Since 2020, the majority of IED permits issued in Ireland have been in the energy and intensive agriculture sectors. Approximately 75% of permits issued since 2020 in the energy sector are for data centres while 84% in the intensive agriculture sector are for poultry rearing facilities. Examples of the pollutants regulated under the IED are set out in Figure 13.5. Figure 13.5  Examples of over 90 pollutants for which the Industrial Emissions Directive sets annual emission thresholds across Europe Carbon dioxide: contributes to climate change +90 pollutants regulated under the IED Some examples: CO 2 SO 2 PM 10 CH 4 NO 2 Hg NH 3 Sulphur dioxide: can harm sensitive individuals and contribute to acid deposition on aquatic ecosystems Particulate matter: can cause premature death and contributes to climate change Methane: contributes to climate change and the formation of ground-level ozone Nitrogen dioxide: can create unbalances in the environment and affects human health Mercury: may be carcinogenic Ammonia: very toxic to aquatic organisms and contributes to the formation of particulate matter Source: Adapted from the European Council 15