Anti-smelter
groups get green light
By Richard
Charan
South bureau
Trinidad Express
Port Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
09 16 07
Several organisations opposed to the Alutrint
aluminium smelter in La Brea have won the right
to challenge the decision by the Environmental
Management Authority to allow the plant to be built.
They want the court to find that it was unlawful
for the EMA to give a Certificate of Clearance
to the National Energy Corporation to build the
250,000-tonne-a-year smelter complex at the Union
Industrial Estate.
They are contending that the building and operating
of the plant would pose serious health risks to
their lives and irreversible damage to the environment.
Alutrint is a joint venture between the Government
and Sural, a Venezuelan company.
Leave was granted on Tuesday by Justice Peter
Jamadar in the San Fernando Supreme Court.
Lawyers defending the action had argued that the
anti-smelter groups did not have sufficient interest
in the matter to be granted permission to judicially
review the EMA's decision.
The application was filed in June by Ramesh Lawrence
Maharaj SC, and attorneys Vijaya Maharaj and Marc
Rawlins.
They are representing the Trinidad and Tobago
Civil Rights Association, and the Chatham/Cap-de-Ville
Environmental Group.
The People United Respecting Environment (PURE),
Rights Action Group, and the Smelta Karavan are
represented by Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein.
Justice Jamadar ordered that further hearing of
claims made by the Rights Action Group and the
Chatham/Cap de Ville Environmental Protection group
be stayed until the action brought by the other
claimants were heard.
Attorney Russel Martineau SC is representing the
Attorney General, Deborah Peake SC is representing
the National Energy Corporation and Ian Benjamin
and Douglas Mendes SC are for the EMA.
A case management hearing is scheduled for October
24.
Trinidad
Express
Saturday,
September 15th 2007
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©2007 Trinidad
Express . All Rights Reserved.
