Cancerous smelter?

Ken Ali
Published: 11 Jun 2009
http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/letters/2009/06/11/cancerous-smelter

The Environmental Management Authority is committed to forging new alliances and partnerships and strengthening existing relationships, the agency loftily states on its Web site. It’s all in “pursuit of the sustainable development of our country,” the EMA trumpets.

logoBut throughout its 14-year history, the EMA has faced a nagging credibility problem, perceived by many as malleable to the government’s designs, especially with respect to dubious certificates of environmental clearance (CEC). The agency is clearly not boosting its image in its handling of environmental matters pertaining to the hotly-contested Alutrint aluminium smelter at Union Industrial Estate in the La Brea district. There are disquieting related humbugs over health and the environment.

The project’s managing director, Renda Butler, in classic corporate-speak, says his firm would “work closely with stakeholders to preserve the environment (and) build the community…” Alutrint has duly secured its CEC, although the official permission is being challenged in court. After all, there may be tacit acknowledgement that the 125,000-metric-tonne-a-year facility is a possible purveyor of dreadfully toxic and cancer-causing chemicals.

That concession, though, is the product of the EMA—and not the company that is determined to “work closely with stakeholders…” The medical monitoring plan pledges to undertake periodic tests for cancer and other illnesses. Erin Brockovick, the movie maven who took on corporate America over the poisoning of a community, is surely needed among the some 4,000 people of Vance River, Soho and Vessigny.

Baseline blood counts, X-rays and other health tests have been dictated in the alarming medical plan. “It is a CEC stipulation and we have every intention of complying with it,” affirmed an Alutrint official in an earlier media report. The eye-popping development frames the painstakingly obvious question: why is T&T investing in an industrial project that could imperil the health of thousands of nationals?

This country is, after all, not just host of the project but, with 60 per cent, also majority shareholder. For its part, Alutrint boasts that its designs are within international air quality standards, with modern gaseous emission treatment systems. But, hell, even the usually lameduck EMA is flying a red flag. These anxieties compound the pesky economic query: is this a wise project? The venture is an all-Chinese shindig, with total Asian funding, some 300 native workers and pre-bake technology, mastered in the country of 136 smelters.

A profit is not expected in the foreseeable future. Then there is the ever-troublesome issue of adequate natural gas reserves, especially with smelters being a large gobbler of this resource. The La Brea enterprise is aimed at servicing the local downstream industrial sector, an assignment that could easily be undertaken by smelters with idle capacity in North or Latin America.

Several Alcoa plants in the US are currently performing way under full throttle. Even in China there are plants with current low production levels, partly because of operating costs. More than that, aluminium prices have been frail in recent times and the industry projection for the second half of the year is not good. Indeed, an international expert was recently quoted as saying that the impact of a sharp rise in capacity utilisation would be “horrific beyond comprehension.”

And there is more: the Alcoa smelter at Chatham-Cap-de-Ville would throw even more aluminium onto the market, in addition to heightening the angst over health and the environment. In an underdeveloped rural community, in which water usually flows from public taps once a week, what justifies an unnecessary project with dangerous implications? Why are the authorities so reticent to make full disclosures on all aspects of this questionable undertaking?

Doesn’t the Government initialing of a 2003 extractive industrial transparency initiative require full publication and verification of company payment and revenues from the energy sector? On that score, the Government is said to be sanctioning a rush of energy projects from the Princes Town area to Icacos, with as many as 200,000 residents likely to have heavy industries in their communities.

Would every block then have to square-off with the authorities to protect their trees, land mass and personal health? Wouldn’t it be best if the National Energy Corporation teams up with the EMA and other relevant agencies to address the burning issues, prescribe remedies and provide assurances?

• Ken Ali co-hosts the discussion programme on 106.1 FM at 6-9 am