Alutrint
still waiting on EMA
By Louis B Homer
South Bureau
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
02 25 07
Alutrint, the company that proposes to build the
first smelter plant in Trinidad has expressed its
concern to the Environmental Management Authority
over the long delay in approving its application
to construct the plant at Union Industrial estate,
La Brea.
In
a letter sent to the EMA the company stated that
it had applied for permission "22 months ago"
and has complied with all the studies requested
to process the application, and it was concerned
about the delay in granting a Certificate of Environment
Clearance.
In
its letter Alutrint told the EMA: "We have
responded to each of your main queries to ensure
that the EMA was provided with sufficient information
to satisfy your queries."
The
company also stated that it had not agreed with
the EMA's justification of some of the requests,
"but we had responded in a manner which ultimately
has the environment and the community's best interests
at heart."
Alutrint
is a joint venture of which the government owns
60 per cent and Sural of Venezuela the other 40
per cent.
In
an immediate response, an official of the EMA told
the Sunday Express that "the Health Risk Report
we had requested was received from the company on
Friday, February 16 and it is now in the hands of
the technical staff."
In
its application for a CEC Alutrint's managing director
Renda Butler had indicated that the company has
been in the forefront of "raising of the bar"
in environmental and societal stewardship for new
industrialisation.
Trinidad
Express
Sunday, February 25th 2007
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