TT's PM at La Brea meeting
discloses proposals...Smelter No.3
By Louis Homer
South Bureau
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
10 29 06
Prime Minister Patrick Manning and wife Hazel greet
members of the La Brea football academy upon their
arrival at yesterday's cultural show entitled "Best
of Southwest" held at the Vessigny Government
Secondary, La Brea.
In the face of protests by environmentalists
and some residents over the construction of smelter
plants at Chatam/Cap de Ville and La Brea, Prime
Minister Patrick Manning yesterday announced the
existence of proposals to build a third such plant.
Manning said, " We have proposals
for a third aluminum smelter plant to be constructed
in Trinidad. We would examine these proposals and
if they are accepted by Government and meet the
EMA requirements it will be smelter number three."
Without naming the area in which
the plant will be built, Manning simply said that
there was still room at Chatam Industrial Estate
for another plant.
Manning made the disclosure yesterday
as he spoke to some 1,500 people at a meeting organised
by the La Brea Sports Foundation held at Vessigny
Secondary School.
Manning said the United National
Congress had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) to build a smelter plant. The investors had
come to Trinidad to sign the MOU because they were
having difficulties with the Government of Dakar.
"So they came to Trinidad with
a proposal so that pressure would be brought on
the government of Dakar." He said Panday had
hailed the proposal while he was prime minister
but since the plants are not being constructed in
his time the UNC is now foul-mouthing the idea.
In his address, Manning said that
the objections raised by the detractors of the smelter
projects are not valid. He said that the EMA had
increased its environmental requirements to ensure
they would be no fluoride contamination.
He said waste matter from the plant
would be sent to Arkansas under strict security
and there was little likelihood of water contamination
. The smelter at La Brea is to be built by Alutrint
(partically locally owned) and the other in Chatam
by American powerhouse Alcoa and during his Budget
presentation earlier this month the Prime Minister
said the government had noted the concerns of those
opposed to the smelters but would be going ahead
with the projects. Present at the meeting were officials
of Alutrin and Chinese officials engaged in the
construction of the plant at La Brea.
The meeting ended with a packed
cultural extravaganza which went on very late.
Trinidad
Express
Sunday, October 29th 2006
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