Latest news with #NIEA
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Belfast City Council warns of legal action over 'asbestos' at bonfire site
Belfast City Council is considering legal action against the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) over concerns about suspected asbestos at a bonfire follows complaints over materials on derelict land beside Meridi Street near the Westlink road in the south of the NIEA said it was informed of "potentially hazardous waste" and enquiries were council said it "continues to engage" with NIEA and the landowner to ensure the materials are removed "as soon as possible". It said councillors agreed "this may include pursuing legal action against the NIEA and/or the landowner, if the necessary steps are not taken".An "abatement notice" has also been served requiring the landowner to secure and contain the materials, the council are lit annually in unionist communities across Northern Ireland to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the region's parading discussed the Meridi Street site behind closed doors at a committee meeting on committee agreed to "delegate authority to officers to undertake legal action and the necessary steps to secure the site", according to the believe the cost of removing the material could be a six-figure sum, sources have told BBC News is believed legal action could involve seeking a court injunction. Previous action over asbestos In a statement, the council said it previously took enforcement action and secured the site due to asbestos in 2011."When this work was completed, officers were satisfied that the site did not pose any risk to people living or working in the area, but were clear that we could not state there was no contamination left at the site," it said."Council became aware of a further issue at this site last month and has been engaging with the landowner to ensure that suspected asbestos containing materials were adequately secured."The current landowner has put temporary measures in place to fence off the materials." 'Deeply worrying' Alliance Party assembly member Paula Bradshaw described the "asbestos pile" as "deeply worrying".Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme last month, she expressed concern at the "potential" of young people using the material on the Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillor Séamas de Faoite said there was "a real health risk"."No matter what your political perspective, this should cause concern," he Unionist Party (DUP) councillor Tracy Kelly also expressed concern but warned against "scaremongering"."It's a very, very big bonfire site and the bonfire is not where this asbestos is. It's on another part of the site," she said. Kelly, who recently became Belfast's new lord mayor, said she understood the material was from an old factory if the bonfire construction should be paused to remove the material, she said: "Of course if it's going to be removed then obviously the safety precautions need to be put in place."In a statement, a spokeswoman for Stormont's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said the NIEA's "enquiries are ongoing"."The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) received a complaint concerning potentially hazardous waste at a site in the vicinity of Meridi Street, Belfast on the afternoon of Friday 16 May," she said."Staff from the Environmental Crime Unit within NIEA were in contact with Belfast City Council about the matter on Monday 19 May and enquiries are ongoing."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Third of Slieve Beagh damaged in wildfire
About a third of Slieve Beagh has been damaged due to a cross-border wildfire, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has said. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) received a report of a fire in Clogher, County Tyrone on Wednesday, which then spread into County Monaghan on Thursday. As a special protection area (SPA) and special area of conservation (SAC), Slieve Beagh is home to the endangered hen harrier and intact blanket bog habitat. Fifty firefighters with ten appliances are still tackling the blaze, but the NIFRS said it has been contained. The multi-agency response which is led by NIFRS is supported by NIEA and the Forest Service. All-terrain vehicles with portable pumps have also been deployed to bring the situation under control. This weekend an amber warning for wildfires has been issued for Northern Ireland. A yellow warning from the National Hazards Partnership, external is also in place on Friday but this will be upgraded for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Dry vegetation and brisker winds conditions create an ideal for wildfires to happen. In Northern Ireland, a special area of conservation (SAC) has increased protection under the Conservation Regulations 1995. The protection is granted if the area contains special habitats or species that are at risk. It also aims to safeguard biodiversity at both national and international levels. A special protection area (SPA) is also designated under the Conservation Regulations 1995. They are important areas for breeding, over-wintering and migrating birds. Weekend warning for wildfires issued for NI Fire crews tackle almost 300 wildfires in a week
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Third of Slieve Beagh damaged in wildfire
About a third of Slieve Beagh has been damaged due to a cross-border wildfire, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has said. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) received a report of a fire in Clogher, County Tyrone on Wednesday, which then spread into County Monaghan on Thursday. As a special protection area (SPA) and special area of conservation (SAC), Slieve Beagh is home to the endangered hen harrier and intact blanket bog habitat. Fifty firefighters with ten appliances are still tackling the blaze, but the NIFRS said it has been contained. The multi-agency response which is led by NIFRS is supported by NIEA and the Forest Service. All-terrain vehicles with portable pumps have also been deployed to bring the situation under control. This weekend an amber warning for wildfires has been issued for Northern Ireland. A yellow warning from the National Hazards Partnership, external is also in place on Friday but this will be upgraded for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Dry vegetation and brisker winds conditions create an ideal for wildfires to happen. In Northern Ireland, a special area of conservation (SAC) has increased protection under the Conservation Regulations 1995. The protection is granted if the area contains special habitats or species that are at risk. It also aims to safeguard biodiversity at both national and international levels. A special protection area (SPA) is also designated under the Conservation Regulations 1995. They are important areas for breeding, over-wintering and migrating birds. Weekend warning for wildfires issued for NI Fire crews tackle almost 300 wildfires in a week
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Slieve Beagh: Third of conservation site damaged in wildfire
About a third of Slieve Beagh has been damaged due to a cross-border wildfire, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) received a report of a fire in Clogher, County Tyrone on Wednesday, which then spread into County Monaghan on a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Slieve Beagh is home to the endangered hen harrier and intact blanket bog firefighters with ten appliances are still tackling the blaze, but the NIFRS said it has been contained. The multi-agency response which is led by NIFRS is supported by NIEA and the Forest vehicles with portable pumps have also been deployed to bring the situation under weekend an amber warning for wildfires has been issued for Northern Ireland.A yellow warning from the National Hazards Partnership, external is also in place on Friday but this will be upgraded for Saturday, Sunday and vegetation and brisker winds conditions create an ideal for wildfires to happen. What is a SPA and a SAC? In Northern Ireland, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) has increased protection under the Conservation Regulations 1995. The protection is granted if the area contains special habitats or species that are at also aims to safeguard biodiversity at both national and international levels.A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a site which is designated to protect rare, threatened or vulnerable bird species and regularly occurring migratory are often located in coastal or marine areas.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Native history exempt from DEI, CRT restrictions
The U.S. Department of Education said Native Hawaiian, American Indian and Alaska Native history will not be categorized as 'diversity, equity and inclusion ' or 'critical race theory ' under the federal government's new directive for the nation's schools. 'The Department is committed to all education decision-making being local by returning education to States and Tribes, ' Hayley B. Sanon, acting assistant secretary of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, wrote in the letter dated April 25. 'It is the position of the Department that American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian history is not classified as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI ) or critical race theory (CRT ), and the Department will not treat Native history as DEI or CRT.' The letter was addressed to the National Indian Education Association, which was told that Native history holds a distinct political and legal status, and will be treated separately from the administration's broader restrictions on 'discriminatory equity ideology.' The letter was a response to a Jan. 29 NIEA appeal urging the Trump administration to ensure that new federal efforts—triggered by a Jan. 28 executive order titled 'Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling '—do not interfere with local and tribal authority over curriculum. The executive order prohibits the use of federal education funds to support content President Donald Trump deems 'discriminatory equity ideology, ' sparking concern among educators about its potential impact on culturally grounded instruction. In the letter, NIEA emphasized the need for tribal consultation in developing the administration's 'Ending Indoctrination Strategy, ' and highlighted bipartisan support for teaching Native history across the country. 'Including tribal repre sentatives in task forces authorized to craft recommendations for the President ensures a well-rounded approach which uplifts local autonomy while honoring the federal trust responsibility to Indian Education, ' NIEA Executive Director Jason Dropik wrote. Dropik said it's vital for tribal nations to have a seat at the table, noting that nearly 650, 000 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students are enrolled in public schools nationwide. Thirteen states currently require the teaching of tribal nations' histories in public schools, including laws passed with broad bipartisan support. Advocates say these efforts reflect the belief that Native history is not a partisan issue, but a constitutional and cultural one. While the federal response reassures tribal education leaders that Native-focused curriculum won't be caught in political crossfire, some Native Hawaiian educators remain cautious. The DOE letter affirms continued support for grant programs and a reduction in bureaucratic hurdles, but it also emphasizes parental rights and local control—language often used in recent efforts to scale back DEI and culturally responsive education. 'We continue to deliver on all statutory grant programs that support American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students and are identifying ways to deliver support while reducing bureaucratic red tape and ensuring parental rights remain a national priority, ' Sanon wrote. NIEA expressed optimism about future collaboration and stressed the importance of allowing tribal nations to lead their own educational approaches. U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the U.S. DOE's stance is the outcome of continued advocacy from Native-serving organizations and lawmakers representing Indigenous communities. He explained that the department's April 25 letter to the National Indian Education Association outlines its position, clarifying that Native Hawaiian, American Indian and Alaska Native history, along with federally funded education programs for these communities, are not categorized under DEI-or CRT-related initiatives. He also emphasized that the department remains committed to fulfilling its legal obligations to Native communities. Case noted that other federal departments are taking similar actions. He pointed to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Secretary's Order No. 3416, which affirms that the department's obligations to Native communities remain intact despite changes in DEI-related directives. The order, signed Jan. 30, officially ended the department's DEIA programs, implementing two Trump administration executive orders that terminated equity-related initiatives, calling them 'illegal and immoral discrimination.' It specifies that all offices and positions related to DEI, Diversity, Equity, Justice and Accessibility and Environmental Justice, including governing bodies like the 'Equity Action Team, ' as well as equity action plans, policies, initiatives, grants, contracts and performance requirements related to equity for employees, contractors or grantees, will be eliminated 'to the fullest extent permitted by law.' Despite this the Department of the Interior acknowledged its ongoing legal responsibilities to Native peoples, stating, 'Nothing in this Order shall be construed to eliminate … the statutory authorities, treaty, and /or trust obligations of the Department … to Tribal Nations and the Native Hawaiian Community.' Case said the order underscores the importance of protecting Native-serving programs from the political debates surrounding DEI and CRT. The ongoing effort, led by Native-serving organizations and lawmakers, is focused on ensuring that Native history and programs are kept separate from these controversial categories, thereby ensuring continued support and the upholding of federal obligations to Native communities. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, has also actively been involved in advocating for Native Hawaiian communities amid policy shifts by the Trump administration. As vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, he has co-led efforts to ensure that Native Hawaiian history and federally funded education programs are not classified under DEI or CRT initiatives, and criticized the proposed closure of the U.S. DOE, warning that such actions would severely affect Native students and schools across the country by slashing funding for essential resources. In a statement to the Star-Advertiser, Schatz said programs like DEI and CRT 'have broad bipartisan support and are helping meet the unique educational needs of Native students in Hawaii and across the country.' 'We are pleased that the administration is acknowledging that the federal law is binding and cannot be waived away by an executive order.' Still, Case warned, these safeguards are not guaranteed. 'There are several cautions, ' he said. 'First, each federal agency usually has some flexibility to interpret and implement executive orders for its own purposes, and so the result in another federal agency on whether Native Hawaiian programs are subject to DEI /CRT could be different. Second, the USDOE position could change. Third, aside from DEI /CRT, all of these programs are under the budget microscope. 'All of which is to say that we must continue to work very hard to protect critical Native Hawaiian efforts on multiple fronts in both the administration and Congress.'
