La Brea council tells residents of smelter risks

Camille Bethel cbethel@trinidadexpress.com
Friday, July 31st 2009

When Alutrint meets next with the people of La Brea, the people will be able to ask questions, demand answers and make proposals for the well-being of their community.

This is the hope of a group of residents who held a series of public information sessions in communities surrounding the Union Industrial Estate at La Brea over the past several weeks.

A meeting was held at Pt D'or Village, La Brea, on Wednesday night.

Elijah Gour, president of the Union Village Council, said the sessions were to ensure that all 4,000 residents living in those communities were well informed on the medical monitoring plan, the possible effects that the construction of the smelter could have on their lives. "We are doing this because this information was never given to the people at any of the public consultations that Alutrint held." Gour said no amount of money or jobs could ever compensate for the health of a community. "The money and jobs that they say will be available with the construction of the smelter should not be at the risk of the community, and the people are understanding that," he said. Gour said they have been informing the people of other industries, including agro-processing and aqua-farming, that can be sustained within La Brea without putting the communities at risk. "Why not aluminium recycling, if they are so bent on this aluminium thing. Let the people recycle aluminium tins and other products...recycling can go on and on and only uses about five per cent of the natural gas that it will take to produce aluminium." The information sessions he said have so far been held in Sobo Village, Sobo Extension, Vessigny, Vance River, Cochrane and La Brea. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161511319