Anti-smelter
groups plan court action
By Shaliza Hassanali
Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
04 08 07
ANTI-smelter activists and groups are waging war
against the Environmental Management Authority
(EMA) for its decision to grant Alutrint a Certificate
of Environmental Clearance (CEC) for construction
of a smelter plant at Union Estate in La Brea.
So
outraged by the issuing of the CEC, committee
member of the Anti-Smelter Movement, Dr Peter Vine,
said the T&T Civil Rights Association intends
to challenge the EMA’s decision to award
Alutrint a CEC by filing for judicial review.
The organisation will be represented by attorney
Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.
T&T Civil Rights Association is also exploring
the possibility of approaching the court to get
a conservatory order against the Government for
preservation of the status quo of the land at Union
Estate in La Brea, and to stop construction of
any smelter plant in T&T.
In
a release yesterday, the civil rights body said
the EMA’s decision to grant Alutrint
a CEC was unlawful and unconstitutional.
It stated the public had a right to comment upon
the standard before they were fully approved by
the minister and by Parliament.
Anti-smelter activist Norris Deonarine, however,
called for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister
Patrick Manning, Minister of Energy Dr Lenny Saith
and the entire EMA board.
Deonarine said his group would work with other
civil society groups and anti-smelter activists
to intensify protest action to stop the construction
of any aluminium smelter in the country.
“We are not going to back down...We intend
to hold strong our resolve to fight this matter
to the bitter end,” Deonarine said.
“The
granting of the CEC tells us that Government
will stop at nothing.”
Vine and Deonarine were giving vent to their feelings
at a press conference at their anti-smelter camp
in St Augustine, yesterday, hours after the EMA
gave Alutrint the green light to go ahead with
construction of a 125,000 metric tonnes-per-year
aluminium smelter in Union Estate.
The
announcement was made on Monday by EMA’s
chief executive officer Dr Dave Mc Intosh, who
insisted the decision was not made lightly, that
the EMA had done a year of evaluation of the parameters
of hazardous waste, air and water pollution.
Addressing
reporters, Vine, an agronomist and physicist
at the University of the West Indies
in St Augustine, said Monday’s granting of
the CEC to Alutrint could generate widespread bitterness
among citizens.
He
said people, in particular anti-smelter activists
and groups, had expressed disgust and disappointment
with the EMA’s decision.
Vine said assurances given by the EMA about 27
compliance officers, who would take a keen interest
in the operations of the plant, would not bring
any measure of relief to those living on the south-western
peninsula because they knew their health would
be compromised.
He felt those villagers should be compensated
and relocated to a safer place.
“When rain falls it picks up all those airborne
pollutants...Where do you think it would end up?” he
asked.
“They
are only talking about the compliance officers
to appease the residents...I am sure they
are not going to stick to the environmental guidelines
for the next 25 years.
“Why
is this aluminium plant so important to the Government?
We need to know.”
Having marched and protested against the three
proposed smelter plants in the country, Vine said
he thought the issue was dead and that it was no
longer going to be a priority, but was surprised
at the decision taken.
Trinidad
Guardian
Wednesday 4th April, 2007
Copyright
©2007 Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
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