The funding will help generate employment for former peat communities
Some €169m in funding has been granted to help support communities most negatively affected by the move away from fossil fuels and the cessation of commercial peat extraction.
These 'Designated Territories' include Athy, Clane and Maynooth in County Kildare .
Others include Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, and the Municipal Districts of Ballinasloe (Co. Galway), and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co. Tipperary).
This EU Just Transition Programme will focus on:
o Generating employment for former peat communities, by investing in diversification of the local economy.
o Supporting the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded peatlands, and repurposing of industrial heritage assets.
o Providing former peat communities with more sustainable (environmentally-friendly) public transport options.
Local Fianna Fáil Senator, Fiona O'Loughlin commented, "The EU Just Transition Fund, which will be in place until 2027, will target funding to the Midlands region, including Kildare, to address the longer-term economic transition of the region.
"Crucially, it will ensure that no-one is left behind by the climate transition and will support training and upskilling for former peat workers.
"For their communities, this funding will enable them to benefit from new green jobs, the development of affordable green energy, the decarbonisation of local transport, and the roll-out of new tourism enterprises.
"It will also support investment in sustainable agriculture and forestry, the development of SMEs and start-ups, as well as support for vital research and innovation and further demonstrates that Fianna Fáil in Government is committed to a Just Transition in the Midlands region.''
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