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Government Proposing Household Charge To Support Midlands Peat Workers

Friday, 27 December 2019 09:09

The Public Service Obligation Fund is currently used to subsidise and support the generation of renewable energy.

Irish households could soon be required to contribute to a public fund to help the midlands end its reliance on bogs for employment.

The Public Service Obligation Fund is currently used to subsidise and support the generation of renewable energy, but the Environment Minister has asked the EU to divert the money.

The annual PSO levy for this year and next is €36.68 which is already added to household electricity bills.

According to the Irish Independent, the €20 million raised annually would be used to fund the rehabilitation of bogs over the next four years and to sustain jobs for around 200 Bord na Móna workers.

Head of News at the Irish Independent, Ferbane's Kevin Doyle, outlines the government's argument as to why the national fund should go to such a localised issue:

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