Fianna Fáil TD Éamon Ó Cuív has queried if any potential deal on carbon emissions is 'an attack on rural life'.
It comes as significant progress has been made in talks between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and The Green Party.
Galway West deputy Mr Ó Cuív told Pat Kenny, as part of any deal on carbon emissions: "I think most people accept that everything we can do everyday to reduce our importation of fossil fuels, and our use of fossil fuels, is something that we have to welcome.
"I think what is more fundamental, as happens in a lot of these cases, the devil's in the detail.
"Is this going to be an attack on rural life, rural values and all the things that you'd associate with all those great hurling and football clubs that come from very small communities.
"Is it an attack on them, rather than 'let's recognise the challenge of fossil fuels and let's eliminate them' - and there are plenty of technical ways to do that".
He also believes that we will see a document by the weekend.
Mr Ó Cuív said: "This has been going on for nearly two months and it's make up your mind time now.
"I would personally expect that we would see a document by the weekend - but I've no greater knowledge on that, that would be only based on my experiences of these types of negotiations.
"The next thing then after that, of course, is it has to be put to the parties according to their own rules.
"In our case that's a 50% +1 vote of all the members of the party".
On any such vote, he said: "It seems to be taken for granted in the media that Fianna Fáil people will vote for this.
"That certainly is not something that I would take for granted."
"Our membership tend to be people, by the very nature of being involved in politics over a long time, who have a healthy, independent view of politics - and are not shy about making that known".
Some key sticking points have been ironed out in the talks, and optimism is said to be building among the negotiating teams.
There are hopes in the negotiating teams that a deal could be done as early as Saturday.
The talks have progressed all through the week but issues like agriculture, climate targets and housing are still not fully signed off on.
