Rights Action Group T&T

Response to Guardian frontpage story June 11, 2009

2009-06-11T09:59:00.002-04:30

Dear Editor,

The Headline Carried in The Guardian New Papers: “Mom blames smelter protest for baby’s death” is imbalanced and contains several inaccuracies.

On Tuesday June 9, there were protests in La Brea at two points. One was at Sobo Village and the other at Union Village. We are not sure where Ms. Thomas was delayed. However, the villagers of Union Village are very sorry to hear that Ms. Thomas’ baby, who fell from a bed and was injured at home, later died. We wish to express our sincere condolences to Ms. Thomas and Stamlin.

We are however, very disturbed that the death of this child is being portrayed as having happened at the hand of villagers. The police have the full power to take charge of emergency transportation if a medical situation presents itself during protest action. It is unfortunate that the police did not exercise this judgment in Ms. Thomas’ case. If at any time this situation was brought to the attention of the villagers we would have certainly intervened where the police didn’t. We would have with haste cleared the road and asked the police to escort her to the hospital. However, if the delay arose at the Union Village site, this was never told to us either by Ms. Thomas or the police.

Had the Guardian contacted us for our perspective when writing this story, we would have provided you with this relevant fact and assisted the journalist to prepare a more balanced article free from other inaccuracies.

We appreciate too well the importance of life and one’s children. Our peaceful and legal protest actions are aimed at protecting our lives and children’s lives from sickness and death that is associated with the Alutrint Smelter. We hope that the rest of the country can understand what it means to have to live with the reality that you and your babies have to be tested every two years for life threatening diseases caused by a development, which was supposed to be for your betterment.

We have now provided the media through written statements as well verbal interviews with very clear information that we are not protesting for jobs. We are seeking to protect our lives and community. Therefore, we would be grateful if you would also correct the inaccuracy in your article that the protest was for jobs in the smelter complex.

Mr. Elijah Gour,
President, Union Village Council, La Brea.

MR. MANNING, SMELTER NOT WELCOME!

2009-06-09T13:12:00.000-04:30

PRESS STATEMENT

JUNE 9, 2009
FROM ORGANISED CITIZENS OF SOBO, UNION, VANCE RIVER, VESSIGNY, AND SQUARE DEAL VILLAGES

We understand Mr. Manning is planning to come La Brea tomorrow to turn the sod for Alutrint's power plant.

MR. MANNING, SMELTER NOT WELCOME!

Protests involving the villages of Sobo, Vance River, Vessigny, and Union are growing. The citizens involved are against the building of the Alutrint Smelter. We now have the information that Alutrint has been hiding since February 2008 on the health risks of the smelter and the facts on such things as the loss of our beach that has been hidden from us since 2005.

Please note protests that started about two weeks ago were for jobs and fair relocation practices. However, our protest is by villagers being left to live near this smelter and we do not want it! The residents scheduled for relocation and the residents being left behind are standing together.

Those who want jobs in Alutrint have a separate platform. However, we sympathise with them as we have all been fooled that there would be safe jobs for our people. Instead we have hundreds of Chinese roaming about our backyards.

The representatives on many village councils and in the Parliament are representing Alutrint not us. They are trying to shove the smelter down our throat to silence us. This is why we are in the streets, we are representing ourselves.

Today the police discharged a firearm in the air in the midst of children in Union Village. Our protest is non-violent. We will not back down.

The State wants the people of Trinidad to believe that only a handful of residents of La Brea do not want the smelter. This is not true. For example, last week when C-news came to do a feature on La Brea they were only taken to La Brea Village where some persons told them they want the smelter. We waited for them but they never came to our villages. Please note the La Brea area consists of many villages. It is the some 4000 plus residents of Sobo, Vance River, Union, and Vessigny villages that have to be tested every two years for cancer. The residents of La Brea Village do not have to be tested. They cannot speak for us! We speak for ourselves. We do not accept this hurtful smelter.

The State is trying to create the impression that all is well and that the smelter is moving ahead at pace and is unstoppable. They want the people of Trinidad to believe we cannot stop it. This is not true. There is no plant on the ground yet. No plant will go on that ground.

We are calling on right minded citizens of Trinidad to support our call for justice and fairness. This is not just about the environment. We will continue our non-violent protests tomorrow and as long as it takes to safeguard our health and community.

Contacts:
M. Greaves, Sobo Village, Tel:795-5377
E. Gour, Union Village, Tel: 364-4574

RIP Grace Dolsingh

2008-07-07T14:55:00.002-04:30

Members of the anti-smelter community joined with friends and relatives of Grace Dolsingh last Saturday to say a final farewell to Grace Dolsingh, one of the elders of the Cedros community that stood firm against Alcoa and the government of Trinidad and Tobago and ultimately succeeded in keeping them out of their land.
Grace died from complications of two heart attacks. On Friday June 27, after suffering a mild heart attack, she was taken to the Point Fortin hospital, a woefully inadequate structure that laughably claims to serve an area of heavy industry. She was put on a chair and made to wait for 25 hours before she received medical attention. Friends and family feel that had she been attended to earlier she would have been spared the massive heart attack she succumbed to on the following Monday.
Grace's untimely passing is another indication of the strange priorities of those in power, particularly the Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Patrick Manning, who, two weeks ago signed a US$400 million loan with the Chinese government to begin work on the Alutrint aluminum smelter complex in Union. This despite the fact that there are currently four cases before the court regarding this latest manifestation of helter smelter development at the expense of our sustainability as a small island state.
We continue to ask, as we mourn a committed community elder, a mother, grandmother, friend, that the government reconsider its priorities and its promises to the people of this nation. We ask that the government reconsider its notion of development to include the needs of its people, particularly those most in need of care - the elderly, children, working mothers- many of whom populate constituencies like Point Fortin.
Eternal rest to you, Grace. We will continue your fight with all our strength and love.

Fishermen report largest recorded oil spill off east coast Trinidad

2007-09-26T22:32:00.000-04:00

It is for reasons like these that we the people of Trinidad and Tobago must never give up the struggle against the wanton destruction of our natural environment. It is for reasons like these that we cannot give our support to projects like Alutrint's aluminum smelter or Essar's steel plant or any of the other ridiculous plans to expand the presence of heavy oil and gas based industries in our backyards and on our shores.
If it takes the EMA a week to take notice of an oil spill, how can we trust them to monitor the daily emissions coming from a plant?
RAG joins with the voices of the Fishermen and Friends of the Sea and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Fisherfolk in calling for an immediate introduction of proper emergency response mechanisms to be put in place to deal with situations like this. Below is a letter from TTUF which was sent to the press on Monday September 24, the day we celebrate our status as a republic.

To The Editor
We have copied this letter to our Prime Minister, Minister of the Environment and the EMA for their immediate attention.
In the past these public officers have done nothing to ensure proper emergency response mechanisms.
Please help us to stop this callous crime against our communities and the environment and to expose Government negligence.

The first report of this spill was made to us last week Monday by fishermen.
We sought to confirm this spill before reporting it.

The weather was very hazy this evening when these pictures were taken.
The oil slick plume shown in the attached was visible stretching for 20 miles this evening.
This is the largest oil spill that this Nation has ever had.
Weather permitting, we will get better pictures tomorrow.

Today, Monday 24th Sept, we confirmed the source of this spill by overhead flight and attach for you the enclosed pictures for publication.

We report that this oil spill is emanating from the Teak Alpha Platform which is 15 miles due east from Point Radix/Point Galeota, and which is now operated by Repsol and the NGC. The spill has been occuring for over a week and Repsol and the NGC have preferred to knowingly let it continue rather than stop it and clean it up. There is legislation under which the CEO's of this company can be prosecuted.

We, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Fisher-folk (TTUF) reported this spill to the Coast Guard at 9.30 am this morning, but at 7pm the Coast Guard reported to us that they have not investigated it,
since they claim to have been informed by Repsol that "it is only a sheen".
It clearly is not. It spreads visibly for over 20 miles and can be viewed and filmed by your staff in aircraft provided by TUFF tomorrow afternoon based on the wind and weather factors.

Over a hundred years ago this country started oil extraction, and to date, conveniently, we are not aware of any Coordinated Emergency Response Oil Spill Plan to co-ordinate
immediate state and private sector agencies in response to oil spills. Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) submitted an Emergency Responce Coordination Plan to the PNM Government since 2001,
in which the EMA should act as the central emergency response and investigative coordinating agency. To date no response nor acknowledgement has even been received from the Honourable but seriously careless Ministers of Energy, Environment and Prime Minister.

Why is the PNM Government dragging their feet on the approval and implementation of a co-ordinated emergency response plan? A good question is who benefits from this carelessness? Are politicians working for the energy sector? In "developed" countries the CEOs of Repsol and of the NGC would have already been prosecuted for this disaster. What is the meaning or benefit of their so called "Developed Country" status if they continue to look away from their responsibility to protect our island ?

Terrence Beddoe
Interim President
TTUF

Anti smelter movement goes to court

2007-08-07T09:33:00.000-04:00

The courtroom on Tuesday 31st July was really packed. Justice Peter Jamadar had made arrangements for this larger courtroom for this particular day because he was expecting public interest to be high. All the seats in the public gallery were filled. The lawyers section was occupied by Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj representing the litigants Maxim Harris, a resident of La Brea, and the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Rights Association; by Rishi Dass, Nyree Alphonso, and Judy Kublalsingh representing the litigants, the Smelta Karavan (Fyard Hosein SC is still in England and Nicole Mohammed was ill); and by Ramkissoon et al representing the litigants PURE (anenvironmental group from the La Brea area), and RAG, the Rights Action Group. On the defendants side there were lawyers for the EMA, for the National Energy Corporation and Alutrint, and the Attorney General seeking to represent the interests
of the State. Proceedings began at 9:00 am.There were four basic issues facing the court:
Should the Attorney General, represented by Martineau and Young, be
granted leave to intervene in the case to represent the “public
interest”?
Seeing that there were three sets of litigants, should the court allow
them all to participate in the application for leave, or should the
court eliminate one or two?
Were the three sets of litigants, all filing for judicial review of the

EMA’s decision to grant a certificate of environmental clearance to
Alutrint, “oppressive” on the EMA? The EMA has tried to argue that the
weight of three simultaneous actions was “oppressive”.
What should the timelines for submissions of affidavits, applications
etc, and for the date for the hearing of leave, be? Remember“leave”
has to be granted by the Court before the substantive matter is heard.

The judge sought the views of all the litigants on the matter of the Attorney General joining the matter. The litigants decided that the Attorney General could join, but that the matter of the AG’s possible claim for costs, in the event that the defendants won the case, had to be rectified.

The judge was of the view that all three litigants had direct interest
in the matter. His tentative direction was for the case to be “rolled up”, meaning that all three could join forces, but an order of presentation of points had to be worked out; in other words, which team would present first, second, third. There was general concurrence on “rolling up” by all three teams of litigants.

The EMA was given a deadline by which to file their claim for “oppressiveness” and the litigants were give dates by which reply to these claims.

It was decided, after much ado [because if Peake could be here then
Martineau would not be here and if he were here then Mendes would not
be here, etc etc] that the hearing for leave would be done on the 11th
-13th September. From what I gather, the decision of the court to hear
or not hear the case will be based on, first, the argue-ability of the
matter, and on, second, the standing of the litigating parties.

It was decided that the hearing would first be heard, and on the same
three days, the matter of standing would be finally ironed out.

NOTE: RL Maharaj decided to drop his constitutional motion in respect of
the Alutrint matter. He would pursue only the judicial review action.
He did not give a clear reason for doing so.

So, it is RL Maharaj, Fyard Hosein, Ramkissoon VS Martineau, Peake,
Mendes and Quamina. Justice Jamadar is keen to hear the case. He is
sensitive to the historical importance of this case. We will need to
pack his court. Please prepare your court wear for the 11th to the 13th

September, 9 o’clock at the San Fernando High Court.

Much respect to those who have shown support on this historic matter,
the outcome of which will determine our future development in the 21st
Century.

Sincerely
Wayne Kublalsingh

Defending the wild in the land of fire and ice

2007-08-03T09:40:00.000-04:00

by Jaap Krater
Saving Iceland

This year Iceland has seen it's third summer of direct action against
heavy industry and large dams. In a much disputed master-plan, all
the glacial rivers and geothermal potential of the largest wilderness
of Europe would be harnessed for aluminium production. Activists from
around the world gathered to protect Europe's largest remaining
wilderness and oppose aluminium corporations.
Icelanders were joined by activists from Africa, South and North
America and Europe for an international conference 'Global
consequences of heavy industry and large dams' organized by Saving
Iceland. "Progress is painted by some as huge projects, large scale
development. In all our countries, these have become disasters,
socially, ecologically and economically. Progress is a plenitude of
small solutions. We should let a thousand flowers bloom," states a
declaration from the conference, formulated by consensus by participants.

The conference looked at the effects of large dams on ecosystems,
climate and communities, on the role of aluminium in the arms
industry and military and on 'green-washing' strategies of large
corporations. Activists recognized the remarkable similarities in
corporate strategies between their different countries and
continents, on how communities and governments are manipulated and
environmental impacts covered up. A next activist conference is
intended in Trinidad and Tobago, where local communities oppose an
ALCOA aluminium smelter. Other campaigns that were presented included
the Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (Movement of Dam Affected
People, Brazil), Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement,
India).

Reclaiming Reykjavik

The resistance against heavy industry and large dams in Iceland has
heated up, and not just because of global warming. Activists set up
camp in Mosfellsheiði, about ten miles north of Reykjavik. A dam was
built in front of the prime minister's office and Reverend Billy of
the Church of Stop Shopping held a sermon in Reykjavik's largest
mall, connecting heavy industry to consumerism. A public meeting was
held with the people of Thorlakshöfn (named as a site for two new
aluminum smelters) and activists from anti-heavy industry struggles
in South Africa and Trinidad.

On July 14th, Bastille-day, around a hundred people raved all over
Reykjavik's ring road in a carnaval against heavy industry. Iceland's
first Reclaim the Streets began cheerfully as Saving Iceland ran onto
Reykjavik's western ring. A clown army danced to the beats down into
the city centre. This Rave Against the Machine was organized by
Saving Iceland to "reclaim our public space, space to be free to
dance, to be free from dreary industrial car culture and to voice a
sound of festival in opposition to the grim industrialisation plans
for Iceland".
When the rave reached Reykjavik's town center, police blocked the
road and a stand-off ensued. After an hour police attacked the raving
protestors and they were all to happy to use all the techniques they
learned from training with American Swat-teams such as foot-cuffing.
Youtube removed video's of police brutality without explanation,
possibly on request of the Icelandic government.

Direct Action

On Wednesday the 18th, Saving Iceland closed the supply road to
Century Aluminum's Grundartangi Smelter and the Icelandic Alloys
steel factory. Two days later, Reykjavik Energy was invaded and a
huge banner was raised accusing the electricity company of supplying
energy to war-mongering corporations ALCAN-RioTinto and Century-
RUSAL. Reykjavik Council's building had a banner drop two days later,
as they own the energy corporation.
In the meanwhile the Icelandic consulate in Edinburgh, Scotland was
painted red under the slogan 'Iceland Bleeds', and locks were glued.

The next week, Saving Iceland blocked the gates of RioTinto-Alcan's
Straumsvik smelter in Hafnarfjordur.
Earlier protests against Alcan have been successful. Recently, in
Kashipur, Northeast India, Alcan had to give up it’s participation in
a bauxite mine because of protests against their human rights
violations and environmental devestation. Alcan has been accused of
cultural genocide in Kashipur, because mining and dams have already
displaced 150.000 mainly tribal people there.
In Iceland, the people of Hafnafjordur have stopped the expansion of
Straumsvik in a referendum, but the mayor of Hafnafjordur and Alcan
are hinting at expanding th smelter anyway, saying that the
referendum only applied to a planning permission of a certain spot by
the existing factory and that it could not stop the smelter expansion
being built on a landfill on the other side of the factory. Locals
continue to protest these plans and dropped banner's stating 'No
means no' and
'Nietsche killed god, Ludvik [the mayor] killed democracy'.

Saving Iceland then invaded Reykjavik Energy's construction site for
expanding the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant in Hengill. People
locked themselves onto machinery, climbed a giant crane and blockaded
the entrance roads. The action must have been succesful, as Reykjavik
Energy has announced to sue the protestors for the damages caused by
stopping work on the site.

Finally, the Earth Liberation Front struck Rio Tinto in England in
solidarity.
"In the early hours of 30/07/07, saboteurs struck at Smurfit Kappa, a
plastics factory owned by Rio Tinto Alcan in Chelmsford, Essex. The
gates were locked shut, office doors and loading bays were sabotaged
with glue and a message left painted on the wall. Vehicles belonging
to Rio Tinto were also sabotaged," says the ELF's statement.

Myths around Geothermal Power

The goal of enlarging Hellisheidi power plant is to meet industries
demands of energy, states the Environmental Impact Assessment,
particularly the Century expansion at Grundartangi and possible new
ALCAN and Century plants at Straumsvik and Helguvik. The expansion of
the Alcan smelter in Hafnarfjordur has been rejected by referendum,
and other smelter projects in the south west are not definite. The
current Icelandic government says to oppose more smelters, but
Hellisheidi is still being expanded. Once the expansion is completed,
this will force Iceland into more smelters because the electricity
needs to be sold to get investments back. In the mean time, farmers
pay twice as much for electricity as Century does.
The expansion of the Hellesheidi power plant in Hengill is itself not
as green as Reykjavik Energy suggests. Hot and toxic waste water is
either disposed of by pumping it back into the borehole, commonly
increasing the frequency of earthquakes in this very active fault
zone, or it is pumped untreated into streams and lakes, wiping out
valuable ecosystems as treatment is considered too expensive. The
Northern end of lake Thingvallavatn is already biologically dead in
parts due to wastewater pumping and must be protected from more
damage. Extraction of underground fluids leads to changes in
groundwater movements, commonly including drying of unique hot
springs and geysers and pollution of pure subsurface spring water.
Four endangered bird species are negatively affected: the falcon,
greylag goose, harlequin duck and raven.

Smelter expansion

ALCOA, Alcan/RioTinto, Norsk Hydro and Century/Rusal are all scheming
for new smelters in Iceland. Century Aluminum, a part of the recently
formed Russian-Swiss RUSAL/ Glencore/SUAL conglomorate, want to build
a second smelter in Iceland in Helguvik with a projected capacity of
at least 250.000 metric tons per annum. The planned site is designed
to accommodate further expansion. Grundartangi has this year been
extended to 260.000 mtpa. Currently, an environmental impact
assessment is under review for the Helguvik smelter, produced by the
construction consultants HRV (Honnun/Rafhonnun/VST). HRV are the
aluminium industry's foremost construction engineers and, with
Bechtel and Impregilo, have built the Alcoa smelter in the east.
It is absurd that an engineering company with a vested interest in
the smelter construction could be considered to produce an objective
impact assessment. The document makes idiotic claims, such as that
pollution is really not a problem because Helguvik is such a windy
place that the pollution will just blow away.
This smelter will demand new geothermal power plants at Seltún,
Sandfell, Austurengjar and Trölladyngju on the Reykjanes peninsula
(south of Reykjavik), in addition to the Hengill area which has
already been seriously damaged by Reykjavik Energy at Hellisheidi.
The impact assessment does not take these into account, nor the
impact of the huge amount of power lines and pylons required. Also,
the recquired capacity exceeds the natural capactity of the
geothermal spots, and they will cool down in three to four decades.
Century admits it wants the site to expand further in the next
decades. So it is obvious that this smelter will not just ruin
Reykjanes but also need additional hydropower.
The impact procedure seems to be completely irrelevant anyway, since
the company has completed an equity offering worth $360 million to be
deployed for partly financing the construction of the Helguvik
smelter project. This indicates that Century already has high level
assurances that the project is to continue no matter what. This
completely contradicts the claims of the new government of Iceland
that it is opposed to new smelter projects.

Expansion of Icelandic Alloys and aluminium smelters considerably
contribute to Iceland 's greenhouse emissions. If there are no
further expansions of heavy industry beyond Grundartangi and ALCOA
Fjardaal (the new smelter in the east), Iceland will emit 38% more
greenhouse gases than in 1990. If other expansion plans continue,
levels would rise to an incredible 63% above 1990 levels..
"This shows that all the talk about green energy from hydro and
geothermal is, in reality, a lie. Icelanders have to rise up against
these transnational corporations," says Saving Iceland.

Aluminium = War

One effect of this year's actions has been to expose the dubious role
of aluminum companies in the arms industry. Much of the aluminium
produced goes directly to the war efforts of the US, Russia and
others. Alumium is the single most important bulk metal for modern
warfare. It is the most important bulk metal for missiles, tanks,
fighter planes, and nuclear weapons. "It is as if Iceland is
organizing a competition which company - ALCOA, Alcan/RioTinto or
Century/RUSAL - has committed the most human rights and environmental
crimes to decide who to sell energy," says Saving Iceland.
ALCOA's links to the US's military-industrial complex is well known.
But until now Century and Alcan have managed to stay out of the picture.

Century is a subsidiary of Glencore, which is well known for shady
deals with apartheid South Africa, Communist Russia, Iran, and Iraq
under Saddam Hussein". Glencore has merged with RUSAL, making the
largest aluminium company in the world. RUSAL, as the main aluminium
supplier of the Russian military, of course contributes directly to
the war in Chechnya, where at least 35.000 civilians have been
killed, with bombs and missiles made of aluminium. Glencore are also
known to have recently massacred Wayuu Indians and local farmers
in Colombia for mine expansion.

RioTinto-Alcan's aluminium alloys are sold for a whole range of
military purposes. Alcan is the main supplier for European Aerospace
and Defense and Space, producer of military helicopters, military
satellites, the Eurofighter Tycoon, Mirage F1, EF18 Hornet and other
jets. EADS is the world's leading producer of missiles. Deals made
between the EADS and Alcan are presented as between Airbus and Alcan,
to cloud the military involvement; it is common for all aluminium
companies to hide their 'defense' products under the title
'aerospace'. But at the same time, military products need to be
marketed, so images of fighter jets are displayed on Alcan
Aerospace's website. Alcan also supplies to arms-manufacturer's
Boeing (US) and Dassault (France).

Colonizing Africa

RioTinto-Alcan has now signed a letter of intent with the Govt. of
Cameroon to expand the existing Alucam smelter with 150.000 Mtpy, and
build a new 150.000 Mtpy smelter. The Lom Pangar Dam, to be
constructed by the government, would power this. Alcan have a large
number of projects planned Africa - their "greenfield project
pipeline" includes Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar and South
Africa. 'Greenfield' means that untouched nature will be destroyed
for the mines, infrastructure, smelters, and dams that would power them.
Alcan was active in apartheid South Africa between 1949-1986. Now
they want to come back and develop a new smelter in the near zero-tax
'Coega Development Zone' near Port Elizabeth, powered by coal and
nuclear delivered by Eskom, one of the worlds largest electricity
companies. "Thirty percent of the poor communities of South Africa
don't have electricity, and now that will be going straight to
Alcan," says Lerato Maregele, a S-African activist visiting Iceland.
Elkom is a 'sister-company' of Iceland's national power company
Landsvirkjun. Landsvirkun want to be part of this deal and more
generally branch out to Africa, in a joint operation with Iceland's
national bank Landsbankinn. Landsvirkjun can be expected to try and
sell their expertise to Eskom's various hydroprojects in Mozambiqu,
Uganda and Congo. They will try to be part of damming the Congo
river, a project twice the size of China's Three Gorges, that will
have a devastating effect on the central African rainforest.
In the meanwhile, Alcoa are planning seven new dams in the Amazon
rainforest to power aluminium smelters.

Kick them out!

So aluminium corporations are posing a massive threat to wildlife,
wilderness and people around the world. In Iceland, people have seen
the destruction wrought by the Karahnjukar dam, and are more and more
hesitant about bringing more heavy industry into the country.
Stopping Alcoa, Alcan-RioTinto and Century-Rusal in Iceland will be a
major slap in their faces, and it is possible definitely possible to
win the struggle in Iceland if Icelanders keep on receiving
international support and solidarity. More and more a global network
against heavy industry is forming and kicking them out of Iceland can
be a first step to kicking these evil bastards off the planet.

Saving Iceland celebration marred by police intervention

2007-07-14T19:31:00.000-04:00

It started off as peaceful and fun filled protest party, but turned ugly when officers of the Icelandic police force put an end to Rave Against the Machine – a reclaim the streets type event being hosted by our brothers and sisters in the struggle against heavy industry, Saving Iceland - on Saturday July 14 in downtown Reykjavik. Just 20 minutes from the end of the parade, police intervened, causing a complete stop to the slowed flow of traffic behind the Rave.
For more than an hour, the Rave stood still on Snorrabraut, close to Rejkyavik's main shopping street. Us ravers were led by the antics of our very own Clown Army. We partied in the streets for an end to heavy industry in Iceland, South Africa and Trinidad. Scores of Icelanders gathered on the corners, giving support, reading information sheets and generally enjoying the music and Iceland's first reclaim the streets celebration. In the midst of negotiations, the police officers seemed to change their minds, and a struggle began between the peaceful protestors and the officers. Suddenly they were grabbing clowns, bystanders. One young woman was grabbed by the hair and thrown to the ground. Officers then forcibly removed the driver of the music van from the driver's seat. At the same time five officers had grabbed two of the ravers and pinned them to the pavement. As the crowd chanted 'the whole world is watching' and 'Hitler police', the police continued their brutality against the unarmed protestors. Cameras recorded the violence, but the other ravers kept calm, asking what were the charges. The dj played on.
Moments later the two arrestees were picked up like trapped animals, their feet and hands bound behind them and put into the police van. At this time they also grabbed another bystander who had questioned their brutality. When the van of police drove away with the prisoners, another police officer broke the glass on the driver's seat of the music van and disconnected the power. The speakers went silent, but the voices of the people gathered continued in the streets. The police then left the scene and the rave continued to the police station three blocks away where the arrested ravers were being held. The still free ravers gathered outside the station singing and drumming. On two occasions the police emerged from their fortress to intimidate the ravers, at one point to rip down the banners that were hung from the front of the station and then to arbitrarily grab at any dancer within reach.
The latest news is that the arrested ravers are being held overnight at the station in downtown Rejkyavik and that they would be released by Sunday morning. The police have thus far witheld information on their medical status, although an ambulance was seen entering the facility.

DECLARATION

2007-07-12T09:42:00.000-04:00

SAVING ICELAND CONFERENCE
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON HEAVY INDUSTRY AND LARGE DAMS
JULY 7-8, 2007.

We are gathered in Olfus, Iceland, we are people from more then 15 different countries and five continents. We are here to share our experiences of heavy industry, dams, transnational companies and other expressions of globalisation, in Iceland, in Brazil, in South Africa, in Denmark, in Canada, in England, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago and many other countries.

We are not professional protestors. Unlike the well-paid corporate lobbyists and spindoctors that try to sell you heavy industry, none of us gets payed to be here. We are ordinary people, we are teachers, nurses, youth workers, students, shopworkers, fathers, mothers. We are here because we care. The Icelandic wilderness is unique. It is the largest in Europe and one of the few wild places left on this continent. It’s beauty and uniqueness and fire and ice are a heritage we must preserve and must defend. It is the heritage and responsibility and privilege of all Icelanders, and all Europeans, and all humans.

We are global citizens in opposition to global companies.

We find it remarkable that in all our countries, we see and suffer from transnational companies following the same blueprint. All around the world, in north and south, in present and past, the same picture is coloured. An ugly picture coloured grey and black. We see the same patterns wrought by corporations. Patterns of ecological devastation. Of total disrespect for human rights. Of creating an environment that is unhealthy to live, where we do not want to raise our children anymore. Of the destruction of communities. Of the corruption and manipulation of governments.

We stand in solidarity with each other, we have a common struggle against common enemies such as ALCAN, RUSAL, ALCOA and Century.

Icelanders – do not forget what these foreign companies have done in the past and are doing now. How heavy industry has . How these people lie, bribe and your government. People from Africa, from South America and many places tell you – do not trust them. Do not walk into this trap. It is the trap of neocolonisation. It is the trap of false promises. How will you face your children if you sacrifice this country, this unique and unspoilt country.

Progress is painted by some as huge projects, large scale development. In all our countries, these have become disasters, socially, ecologically, economically. Progress is a plentitude of small solutions. We would let a thousand flowers bloom.

Inform yourself. Make up your own mind. Do not stay sitting on the fence, as if it doesn’t affect you. You have to make a decision.

Dams in Iceland only provide electricity for half a short time – they are not a long term solution. They do in fact emit greenhouse gases, aluminium smelters produce very, very large amounts. It is not a green metal at all. If you allow these factories, all of the credit you have under the Kyoto Protocol vanish like snow. If we do not face the dangers of climate change, our world will become unliveable.

What is this all for? You pride yourself for not having an army, but 30% of aluminium is produced for the military, for war effort, for tanks, for missiles. Will you let your wilderness be destroyed so that countries can bomb each other? Or do you prefer to sacrifice it for pepsi-cans?

It is not that Iceland will be sacrificed so other places will be saved. The aluminium industry will build devastating smelters in South Africa and Trinidad, and all the major rivers of the Amazon are threatened by large dams for heavy industry.

Why more aluminium? Why more dams? What kind of world will we end up with and what will we become?

We can all make a difference. Raise consciousness. Mount pressure. Bring information to schools, bring it to your work and your communities. Everyone can care, no matter how large or small they are, because we are all human. Inform yourself. Make up your own mind or it will be made up for you.

Signed,

Abigail Ley, USA
Alona Kononovica, Latvia
Antje Hersrick, Germany
Astrid Österreicher, Austria
Attillah Springer, Trinidad & Tobago
Bettine van Rijnswou, the Netherlands
Birgitta Jonsdottir, Iceland
Cirineu da Rocha, Movement of Dam Affected People MAB, Brazil
Daniel Nemeryi, England
Einar Rafn Þorhallson, Iceland
Eric Duchemin, Nature Quebeq, Canada
Gigja Sara Björnsson, Iceland/France
Gudmundur M.H. Beck, Iceland
Helen B, England
Jaap Krater, the Netherlands
Joanna Pasol, Austria
Johann Oli, Birdlife, Iceland
Jon G. Hefsteinsson
L. Maregele, South Africa
Laura Lnakkoiun, Finland
Mimi Sheller, USA
Olafur Pall Sigurdsson, Iceland
Patricia von Moravie, Germany/Austria
Rebecca Evans, England
Rev. Billy Talen, USA
Savitri D, USA
Spring Exprit, Austria/Spain
Trude Menrath, Germany
Wouter vd Pool, the Netherlands

And others.

This weekend in Olfus, Iceland

2007-07-05T04:24:00.000-04:00

A call to arms on World Environment Day

2007-06-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

Another World Environment Day has come and it feels as if Trinidad and
Tobago is no closer to coming to terms with the many challenges of
moving forward economically in ways that are sustainable and
non-threatening to human life.
It's not just a fight for the environmentalists. The energy experts,
the economists, the local contractors, all need to take interest in
the quest for sustainable forms of development.
At this moment in world history, Trinidad and Tobago continues to
exclude itself from the growing global conversation on climate change
and what we can be doing as a nation to mitigate its effects on
ourselves and generations to come.
We are already reaping the harvest of our carelessness, one wonders
how much hotter it needs to get before the EMA, the government and the
Opposition begin to get serious about how Trinidad and Tobago plans to
come to terms with global warming and the reality of climate change.
Whether on the issue of smelting or waste water or food security or
the land sinking into the sea in Cedros, Trinidad and Tobago's
environment is in a state of crisis.
The Rights Action Group urges those in positions of power to begin to
take decisive action and stop protecting the interests of that small
group of profit makers.
RAG urges all concerned citizens,environmentalists, social activists,
farmers and community organisations to not give up hope. We also pay
respect to all the communities and individuals across Trinidad and
Tobago who have been doing their part to raise consciousness in our
communities and in our board rooms. All those who have been struggling
against immense odds to bring attention to the problems in their
communities, to increase their access to information, to demand
answers from their leaders and to insist that communities are actively
involved in the consultation process.
We look forward to more participation and more commitment to a nation
that is moving forward into a clean, sustainable and more equitably
future.
In solidarity,
RAG

Earth Always - initiative from Trinidad

2007-06-04T09:52:00.000-04:00

Consciousness Raising is a feminist group on the University of the West Indies Campus. The group is made up of individuals diverse in age, marital status, occupation, education, physical ability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, class and political views. However, we are united in our concern for issues affecting not only each other but our country and the global community.

One of these issues is Global Warming.

It’s no secret that our climate is changing. The 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 1990; in fact 2005 was the hottest year since record keeping began. Greenhouse gas pollution is the primary cause of global warming and much of the emissions come from energy production. In our government’s effort to achieve their 2020 vision are they sacrificing our country’s environment? Is the importance of “Investing in sound infrastructure” and “Enabling competitive business” worth the price of our fragile ecosystem?

24/7 Earth Always is Consciousness Raising’s suggestion to stop the degradation of our country’s natural environment and to build a future in which we can all live in harmony with nature.

24/7 Earth Always is about consciousness-raising, about capturing YOUR imagination and empowering YOU to make a difference. We aim to show that together, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!

Trinidad and Tobago has signed and agreed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which is an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where countries commit “to reducing their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases.” We are asking that citizens of our country unite and remind our government of the promises made regarding our environment. The more people get on board and support the campaign, the more it will have a significant effect on what our government is going to do about the issue.

Therefore, we are inviting companies, government departments, schools, communities, individuals and families of Trinidad and Tobago to conserve energy for 24 hours on June 5, which is World Environment Day, to show that it is possible to take action on global warming and that we care about our planet.

How do you go about doing this?
AT HOME:

Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs
Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs to save money and reduce emissions. Lighting accounts for around 5% of household greenhouse gas emissions, and compact fluros use 75% less energy than an equivalent incandescent bulb. Although the bulbs cost more up-front, you will actually save money through the energy saved and extended life of the bulb.

Turn appliances off standby
Unplug any appliances - mobile phone charger, TV, microwave, MP3 player - which are not being used and are on standby. Appliances on standby consume up to 10% of your electricity bill. Turn off anything that does not need to be on. A good rule is to turn off anything not being used. When you leave a room or leave the house, turn off your lights or appliances like the TV or computer.

N.B. A more detailed list of what can be done room by room is attached.

AT THE OFFICE

Get off standby
Speak to your office manager about turning off any equipment at work that is not being used, including computer screens, photocopiers and printers.

Before you leave the office
When you leave work each day, remember to turn off any lights in your workspace and your computer. Remember to unplug your mobile phone or laptop charger when it is not in use.

Find out what's happening in your workplace?
Your organisation may already be doing a lot to reduce their emissions. Ask about your environmental policy and find out what is already happening. Look for ways to reduce energy use in your workplace and encourage improvements.

AT SCHOOL

Lights & Computers
Turn-off lights and fans when no one is in the classroom, especially at recess and lunchtime. Turn-off computers & monitors when they are not in use.
Air Conditioning
Keep the doors & windows closed in your classroom when the air conditioning is running. Ensure there is nothing blocking air conditioning vents in your classroom. Make sure the thermostat settings are not set too high or too low.

Water
Turn off the taps when you are finished. Tell a teacher if there is a leaking tap in the toilets, classroom or playground.

When you get home after your day at work or school, do not stop the energy conserving there - Get together with friends and family for a BBQ. Sit outside and look at the stars. Go for a stroll if you have a park nearby. Have a picnic or candlelight dinner. Talk with your family and friends about the state of our planet and the need to make a change to keep the place we live the way we need it to be.

Do something non-electric – but most importantly enjoy!

Smelta Karavan launches this Friday!

2007-05-31T07:10:00.000-04:00

THIS FRIDAY! June 1st 11:30 a.m.
VENUE: Outside E.M.A/ OVAL
THE SMELTA KARAVAN mobile community bus makes its first public appearance at 11:30 a.m.

This is also the FINAL day of a 40-day fast dedicated to this movement of increasing awareness and involvement...
People we did not all know were making sacrifices with THE BIG
PICTURE in mind.
Someone was walking our talk.
There is at least some little something we each can do to say thank
you, I'm in it too!

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
-Come on down.
-Tell a friend to come on down
-Call the your favorite local newspaper/ TV/ radio station and tell
them to come on down. Call twice.
- Just tell friends and family any way, even if you can't come. Spread
the word, "Have you heard....?"
- fwd emails you receive to those who share your interest
- risk sharing with those who don't
- share emails on the issue with T&T people living abroad
- I don't know, what CAN YOU DO? - DO IT!
T&T IS NOT FOR SALE!

I am going because :
The EMA is as good a place as any to enjoy important conversations
about the things I care about with those who share my concerns.

Legally, there is no local, regional or international precedent about
this issue.
If we want T&T green we have to attend its garden our selves!
The base of the pyramid must inform the head.

BIG UP TO:
Wayne Kublalsingh, Rosanna Farmer, Beena Baggan and friends who have
been quietly persevering.

Of Wayne, Rosanna says:
"He has been the mast while the rest of us have flapped about sometimes
wildly in the breeze,
but mostly catching the wind and moving this ship forward……however
even the strongest of masts
can break. Knowing all that he has done in the past few months I ask
you to give all that you got...."

BIG UP TO:
Navin Parray

Thanks to him we can all update and connect at www.smeltakaravan.org
which will be developed over the coming days and weeks. Blog on and upload relevant
environmental images articles etc.
Navin is also a founding member of
Trinidad Photography Club
(http://trinidadphotographyclub.wordpress.com/)for amateur
photographers and you can see his work at www.parray.com

BIG UP TO:
Simon Aboud at SIGN POST -
The mobile Karavan will have a banner to advertise the domain name
www.smeltakaravan.org

BIG UP TO:
THOSE WHO HAVE REGISTERED TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION FOR VOLUNTEERING
PHOTOGRAPHY/ VIDEO SERVICES!!...and counting.
EVEN JUST ONE DAY for the year would offer more than you could know.

Check up at www.smeltakaravan.org where we will soon be able to update
each other and keep in touch.

WE NEED:
-writers/ producers/ editors willing to create video material on the
topic
Even funky 60 sec ads on the topic
- we need artists, musicians etc willing to compose produce and record
music,
jingles etc on the issue
- we need help organizing and archiving material so that the journey of
a caring people will be recorded for
future generations regardless of what this government does or does not
do.
- we need people to clip news paper news about the issue, to scan to
convert to electronic documents and submit for the Smelta Karavan NGO records
- We need writers and PROs to put out for sponsorship, grants, funds -local and international etc etc.
If you see a need only you can fill, we welcome your involvement.

WHERE EVER YOU ARE DO WHAT YOU CAN ABOUT SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT.

ONE ONE DOES FULL BASKET.

Joanne Gail Johnson
www.caribbeanchildren.com

That dubious Alutrint CEC

2007-05-08T06:11:00.000-04:00

by Prof Julian Kenny
Trinidad Express
May 8, 2007

I am sure that Dr Saith has access to top legal advice to support his view that the Government is not afraid of any legal challenge on the CEC granted to Alutrint. After all, the Constitution does charge the executive with the general direction and control of the government of the country. On the other hand Dr Saith by now must be able to recite from memory the oath of office to uphold the Constitution and the law. As a highly experienced legislator he will confirm that when this country signs, accedes or ratifies an international treaty, it does so with the genuine intention of fulfilling its obligations to the international community.

I have written before on the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Materials and their Disposal. This country acceded to the treaty in February 1994, 13 years ago. Despite repeated requests from the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for instructions (Hansard, March 3, 1998) nothing I know of has been done. Perhaps this is deliberate as without the essential domestic legislation the High Court may simply rule that the Basel Convention is irrelevant. Note that in the appeal by Talisman against the refusal of the EMA to grant a CEC for a 3D seismic survey in the Nariva Swamp, the Environmental Commission did not even bother to hear technical arguments. It ruled simply that the EMA violated the right of the company to be heard, that the RAMSAR Convention (wetlands of international importance as habitat for wildfowl), one pillar of the EMA's decision, could not be applied in the absence of necessary domestic legislation.

But to return to the Basel Convention if one reads through the "internationalese" there are two things that stand out. The first is that parties to the convention may not ship hazardous wastes to non-party members. The second is that if a party member wishes to ship to a non-party member it may only do so by the mechanism of a bilateral treaty with the non-party. The United States has not ratified the convention. And notice that the US, having signed it, has not ratified the convention of the International Criminal Court, choosing to seek bilateral agreements - with inducements!

It seems therefore that the position taken by the EMA regarding the spent pot liners, accepting a "draft agreement" between Alutrint and some firm in Arkansas, is clearly in breach of the principles of the convention that we signed, unless, of course, there has been some formal bilateral treaty between the US and this country about which we know nothing. And there is yet another major problem. To ship spent pot liners to the US shipments will have to pass through the exclusive economic zones of other countries party to the convention, requiring their approval. Has this been done? If so, can the EMA give the route and the countries involved? And remember that the spent pot liner issue will only arise five to eight years down the line.

And again, there are relevant issues. There is in law a National Physical Development Plan that was approved by Parliament in 1984. Existing law requires the Minister to secure consistency and continuity in development of policy in accordance with the plan approved by Parliament. When the NEC applied for a CEC for clearing 800 acres of Union Estate it was granted without consideration of the fact that the area was designated for agriculture. The EMA, had it the independence it claims it has, would have been on much stronger grounds for a refusal of a CEC, and in its refusal it could simply have advised the NEC that the matter be referred to the ministry responsible for planning, so that a revised regional plan could be submitted for approval by Parliament after the necessary public consultations and review.

That the EMA does not seem to understand the jurisdiction of Parliament should not surprise anyone. At the Government's aluminium symposium a few months ago the EMA expert on the panel ventured that the Authority preferred to deal directly with applicants on the matter of standards, clearly not understanding that the jurisdiction for final approval of standards belongs to Parliament, not Cabinet, as the jurisdiction for physical planning in law clearly belongs to Parliament. Does the Authority assume that Parliament has no role? If so, why lay water pollution rules and not air pollution and hazardous wastes rules? Notwithstanding the directions given to the Authority regarding standards elsewhere in the Act Sections 26 and 27 clearly establishes the role of Parliament, if even for negative resolution of a ministerial order, which may be challenged with a motion.

Sadly, things are stacked against citizens for regardless of the cause it costs serious money to challenge any Government of Trinidad and Tobago, although governments have been shown to violate constitutional rights and law. Just think back to the Maha Sabha radio licence case, and to the Integrity in Public Life Act that demands fairness, and prohibits favouritism.

Culture Jamming Trinidad Style - What EMA stands for

2007-05-02T19:58:00.000-04:00

As seen on the wall of their Elizabeth Street St. Clair office.
Keep jamming the shitstem, Trinbagonians!

Action Alert: Anti-smelter activist begins fast outside EMA

2007-04-19T19:15:00.000-04:00

Dear friends,
University lecturer and anti-smelter activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh
was forcibly removed from the head office of the Environmental
Management Authority this evening (Thursday April 19) .
Dr. Kublalsingh went to the office earlier today, asking whether at
the time of the granting of the CEC to Alutrint, a contract or
agreemernt with the waste disposal company in Arkansas actually
exists. The hazardous waste facility is to be the final destination
for the Spent Pot Lining waste from the Alutrint smelter plant on
Union Industrial Estate.
After being ousted by members of the protective services, Dr.
Kublalsingh began a fast outside the office and has pledged to remain
there on Elizabeth Street in St. Clair, until he receives a
satisfactory response.
The Anti smelter lobby would like to thank those citizens and
international supporters who continue to suppoort our actions for
people centred development and environmental justice and we would like
to urge all concerned citizens to show solidarity for Dr. Kublalsingh.
If you can, please pass by Elizabeth Street and give your support.
If not, please also send your call for clarification on what will be
done with the SPLs.
Environmental Management Authority
8 Elizabeth Street
St. Clair
Port of Spain
Trinidad
Phone - 628 8042
Fax - 628-9122
EMail - ema@ema.co.tt

In solidarity
RAG

No Water? Drink Smelta

2007-04-18T06:47:00.000-04:00

Cathal Healy-Singh
Environmental Engineer
Anti-Smelter Alliance

The following contradictions accompany the recent decision by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to award a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) for the ALUTRINT Aluminium Smelter Complex proposed for Union Industrial Estate:

Our National Environmental Policy (NEP, revised in 2005) contains an important ‘Energy’ Clause which requires that a cost – benefit economic analysis of gas/oil energy allocations to major developments be part of any impact assessment. Provision for this assessment should have been made in the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) which is to inform the EMA’s decision making on ALUTRINT’s application for a CEC.

The Environmental Act (of 2000) binds the EMA to follow its Policy. Despite this, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) failed to include this energy analysis in the TOR they approved to asses ALUTRINT’s smelter complex. This failure is significant as smelters require ‘vast’ amounts of natural gas. The Government’s 2020 smelting plans which include ALCOA, would more than double the 2005 national per capita electricity consumption rates, with no regard for future ‘energy security’ needs.

ALUTRINT failed to confirm any firm arrangement for the safe disposal of Spent Pot Liner (SPL), a deadly toxic by-product of smelting. When ALUTRINT first spoke of disposing SPL in November 2005, they proposed to bury it on-site and later truck it to an industrial landfill in Trinidad. But T&T does not have any physical infrastructure or regulation for safe disposal of hazardous wastes. After being challenged on this matter, ALUTRINT claimed that SPL would be shipped to a private treatment facility in Arkansas, USA. Yet their EIA failed to make mention of the necessary approvals required by USA State and Federal Authorities. They are also silent on the consent required from fellow CARICOM States for T&T to ship toxic waste through their territorial waters.

SPL is a cocktail of hazardous wastes requiring stringent handling, treatment and disposal every three-to-five years of smelting. Improper disposal would constitute ecological disaster. The EMA should therefore not have awarded the CEC until firm long-term legal agreements and assurances for safe disposal of SPL were secured by ALUTRINT.

There also remain significant outstanding questions relating to the impact of smelters on the health of ‘pot room’ workers. ALUTRINT spent considerable effort to convince the national community that advances in pollution control technologies had reduced to an acceptable level the cancer risk to workers in the massive smelting ‘pot-rooms’ - where aluminium oxide powder is electrolyzed at 1000 Degrees Celsius, using a gigantic electric current, into molten aluminium metal. However, research around the world on both old and new smelting technologies continues to find increases in specific forms of cancer and respiratory ailments in pot-room workers. This is unsurprising given the toxic nature of raw material inputs.

Furthermore, research on the impact of smelting on the health of surrounding communities is extremely limited, as reaffirmed by the Australian presenter at the UWI Engineering Department’s Smelter Symposium. We do not accept the methodology used in the much touted Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment carried out for ALUTRINT by Canadian consultant ‘SENES’, to calculate actual conditions of pollution exposure that will be experienced by the some 10,000 surrounding La Brea residents. This is of great concern despite ALUTRINT’s claim that the methodology used is generally accepted in North America. It is important to note that because of a lack of resident technical expertise in the EMA to understand this Risk Assessment, they relied on another Canadian company called ‘JACQUE WHITFORD’ to advise them on the findings of SENES.

The truth is the impact of cancerous substances emitted from aluminium smelters on surrounding human and environmental health is not properly understood. Like most industries, reduction in impacts has accompanied technological advances. However, given that existing baseline health conditions in La Brea (and other industrialized areas like Point Lisas) are not presently properly understood, ‘caution’ should have been the EMA’s ‘natural response’ to the introduction of smelting into our small-island state.

The National Environmental Policy also refers extensively to the importance of the role of the EMA to ‘educate’ and ‘inform’ the Public on environmental issues and risks. Yet during ALUTRINT’s CEC process, the EMA made no effort at any time to educate anyone on the risks and/or issues associated with aluminium smelters. Hence, the community stakeholders were unable to develop an informed view on the industry.

Some front-line community residents surrounding the proposed footprint of the Union Industrial Estate were beguiled by large sums of cash money and job promises from ALUTRINT’s Public Relations campaign, which was passed off to the EMA as part of their ‘public consultation’ drive. But, had the EMA been interested in following their own Policy, they would have found it imperative to educate both the national and front-line communities and not rely solely on ALUTRINT to do so.

We believe that given all of the above, the EMA should have invoked the “Precautionary Principle”, provided for in the National Environmental Policy, which says essentially ‘when in doubt, don’t proceed’. The EMA should, on this principle, have denied the CEC to ALUTRINT.

But caution was not on the mind of the EMA’s Chief Executive Officer, McIntosh, when he announced the award of the Certificate of Environmental Clearance to ALUTIRINT. He insisted that there had been no political interference and expressed satisfaction that ALUTRINT could smelt away if they agreed to an intensive regime of pollution monitoring and reporting of potential cancerous substances expected to be released continuously from the plant over its projected 50 year life span.

McIntosh also insisted that the twenty-seven (27) new EMA staff members promised to them by Government would be promptly assigned to the new task ahead. ‘More staff’ was the likely concessionary ‘carrot’ extended to the EMA by the modern industrial state 2020 Visionaries in the PNM administration headed up by Prime Minister Manning.

Having completed his mission, McIntosh will no doubt be retired and replaced by another champion of corporate environmentalism. A curious Public wonders why notable EMA Board Members, John Agard, a UWI academic and David Abdullah, a trade unionist, were unruffled by the CEO’s announcement of the green light for ALUTRINT. The Public remains shocked by the EMA’s betrayal of its own core principle of valuing life and the right of citizens of our Republic to be informed when their right to a healthy life is being threatened.

World Earth Day Invitation from the Anti-Smelter Alliance

2007-04-18T05:54:00.000-04:00

Friends,
you may be aware that Sunday 22 April, 2007, is World Earth
Day.
The significance of this day is ever-increasing as the world struggles
to control the decimation of the environment, changing climates due to
global warming and the ensuing threats to food and water security.
Our country is not exempt as our small island faces the possibility of
over-industrialisation - which would likely result in the extinction of
agriculture (along with the ability to feed ourselves) and our compromised
health. The Anti-Smelter Alliance has planned a celebration of World Earth
Day at the site of the proposed Alutrint smelter at Union Village on
Sunday.
Your presence would be greatly appreciated.
It is hoped that this ceremony will send a message of solidarity to all
concerned citizens and organisations.
Everyone is asked to gather at Square Deal Corner at 8:30 a.m. This will
be followed by an Interfaith Service to pray for the future of our country.
The Alliance also feels it is important to leave a green 'flag' to mark
the occasion - as such, you are invited to bring along and plant a tree or
shrub at the proposed smelter site. Included the day's activities, which
will run until 11.30 a.m., will be a cultural section.
Comrades, as the clock ticks and we draw near to a decided fate for our
land, it is imperative that anti-smelter activists show steely strenght and
determination.
It is of the utmost importance that our numbers be many.
We ask you for a firm comittment to help us make a statement on Sunday.
Please come out and let it be seen that the movement remains, that we grow
and that we will not give up or give in. The message must be clear - NO
SMELTER!
We thank you for your support.

Is EMA a puppet for the Government?

2007-04-10T05:26:00.000-04:00

Letter to the Editor
April 10, 2007

After deafening public outcry from all sectors of the national community and conclusive research studies from eminent environmentalists on the dangers of the operations of smelter plants in south Trinidad, the Environmental Â Management Authority (EMA) had the audacity to grant a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) to Alutrint! How insensitive, disrespectful and blatantly insulting this agency could be to people's constitutional right in wanting a healthy, chemical-free environment!

It is indeed strange to know that the EMA's dreaded decision came mere hours after environmentalists met with the Patrick Manning-led Cabinet's Energy Committee to present their case against the smelters. Based on this strange sequence of events, many questions can now be asked of the PNM Government's role in EMA's decision. Is the EMA independent and impartial in its decision-making? Or is it a heavy-handed puppet of the State? Â

According to the Town and Country Planning Act there are zoned areas for industrial development. Was there a compromise and/or breach of this law because of the whims and fancies of a higher authority?

Given the overwhelming public outrage over this latest development, the country demands honest answers from the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Planning and Development.

Colin Ghouralal

Another way to manage our environment

2007-04-10T05:22:00.000-04:00

by Prof Julian Kenny
Trinidad Express
April 10, 2007

"The task the EMA will now face...is one of monitoring and understanding what the baseline conditions are, so we can examine any shifts in terms of the human health of the area or impacts on vegetation and wildlife."

EMA official release

The headline of the story in the Sunday Express of April 1 stated bluntly - "Tiny blind animal halts $b Aussie mine". No it was not an April 1 joke. But it certainly illustrates the differences between us and the Australians. A tiny cave dwelling arachnid is the grain of sand in the machinery. The species, or I should say the few species involved, are relics of a group that once lived in rainforests in Australia, forests that dried out in time, and have retreated into cave environments and continued to evolve, feeding on organic matter underground. These tiny creatures measuring a few millimetres are now eyeless.

The thing is that Rio Tinto wants to develop a $12 billion iron ore mine in the environment occupied by these creatures and the creatures are in the way. Australia has an Environmental Protection Agency and the EPA's Chairman has ruled, on behalf of the EPA, that the mining proposal is environmentally unacceptable. The EPA's ground for rejection? The Environment Impact Assessment studies, conducted by the company, discovered five new species of these creatures unique to the proposed mining site. Of course, Australia has the appropriate legal and institutional mechanisms that permit appeals or resolution of the problem. While the EPA makes a decision on scientific grounds, the minister in the end may make the final decision, taking into account social and economic factors, as well as political risks. There the matter rests for the time. Conflicts of this kind are relatively common in the developed world - an owl, or salamander or fish standing in the way of "development".

We, on our way to developed country status by 2020, also have an agency that is charged with "managing" the environment. That body, the Environmental Management Authority, was established during the first Manningadministration, as a conditionality of a World Bank loan for business expansion (and don't be fooled into thinking otherwise). Note that its name is "authority", not "agency". For the first few years the Authority was powerless, in the absence of the Environmental Commission. Many hoped that the Authority would be independent of political influence and would make decisions on technical grounds, more or less like the Australian EPA.

Of course, it was only a hope. Although members of the EMA were "appointed" by the President, who signed their instruments, they were Cabinet appointments, like any other board appointment.

The first stumble of the Board was the celebrated case of the CEC application by Talisman to conduct a 3D seismic survey at the edge of the Nariva Swamp. The application was rejected outright without giving a hearing to the company - the wetland lobby. The Company's appeal to the Commission was allowed, without hearing any technical arguments, supporting the rights of the company to a hearing, and the irrelevance in domestic law to the Ramsar Convention and the National Wetlands Policy. Eventually Talisman successfully conducted its 3D seismic survey.

Ironically, the EMA could have used the same approach of outright rejection of the NEC application for land clearing for an industrial estate at Union Estate, but on stronger legal grounds, that of the National Physical Development Plan adopted by Parliament in 1984. The Australian EPA would have done so and left it to the politicians to make the decision. In the plan Union Estate was designated for agriculture and intensive agriculture while Point Fortin was a growth centre. The NEC could then have appealed to the Commission. But no, a CEC was granted for clearing about 800 acres of mixed agriculture and forested lands with three artificial lakes and the lunar landscape is now to be the site of the Alutrint smelter. And the citizens of Union Village have had to endure in these past two years noise and dust, and the on again off again resettlement of their village. As I suggested earlier the NEC and the EMA are really provoking citizens. I hazard a guess that the anti-smelter groups will now more than likely take legal action for judicial review of the EMA's decision.

The grounds? Amongst others, original failure to take into account the approved National Physical Development Plan; deciding to conduct baseline environment studies as smelter construction progresses; deciding the matter in the absence parliamentary approved air pollution standards and rules; failure to show confirmation that the United States has agreed to accept spent pot liners in accordance with the Basel Convention; failure to show that our neighbours have agreed to shipment of hazardous wastes through their waters.

And now the EMA will monitor the effects of the smelter on the vegetation and wildlife of the area, 800 acres of which have already been cleared of vegetation and wildlife with EMA approval.

Another Industrial Revolution

2007-04-09T07:12:00.000-04:00

by Mary King
Trinidad Express
April 9, 2007

The EMA has given its approval for the construction of the Alutrint smelter. An important consideration is that Alutrint is 60 per cent owned by us and it will be using electricity, as its largest single expense, derived from our natural gas resources. Hence we as the majority owner have to be satisfied that the economics are efficient.

It simply is not good enough for Alutrint to say that it is satisfied with its business model; i.e. given the gas price it was able to obtain from our Government it will be profitable. The question is, profitable for whom, the Venezuelans? Surely, we have to monetise our natural gas reserves so that we can obtain the resources to develop ourselves economically and socially. But the major metric of economic development is by how much have we improved the productivity of the additional natural gas used by the creation of the industry. Also we need to provide the wherewithal to replace the energy sector rents with foreign exchange earnings from the on-shore sector as the former diminishes.

At last the Minister of Energy has been forced to admit that we are short of proven reserves to supply our commitment to Jamaica, embarrassingly so, and even for a new LNG train. He hopes that we will find and produce more gas from the joint T&T/Venezuelan field or the deep sea fields, which were in general refused the last time the blocks were out for bids. Surely, any natural gas reserves we still possess, have to be utilised to provide us both with local energy security and increasing returns on their exploitation.

If we sell gas to the smelters so that the smelters make the normal international return on investment, and gas prices are severely subsidised, then this is economic un-development. We can all recall the statement by Colin Pratt, an Alcoa expert, that smelters are put where energy resources are stranded, i.e. there is little else you can do with the energy, selling it for anything you can get, even for a handful of brightly coloured beads (Minshall). For example, Norway's hydro electric energy is stranded and is used for smelting while its natural gas is pumped into the European pipeline fetching much higher prices.

The international figures suggest that the price of electricity for competitive smelters, which depends on the price of natural gas used to fire the gas turbines, is around US 1.5 cents per KWh which is below what T&TEC sells at, US4 cents, even with its subsidised gas prices. The gas price to Alutrint appears to be a national security secret, hidden away even from our Parliament.

We are certainly not building the smelter to provide local employment. One of the experts at the PNM Government symposium, Paul Lochner, showed us that smelters do not provide much employment. Possibly we are building the smelters so that we can benefit from downstream activity. i.e. the creation of locally owned companies that use the aluminium to make finished products. Our experience with the iron and steel plant, ISPAT, is that though the plant produces more flexible primary products, billets and wire, it has not been able to stimulate a sophisticated downstream private sector industry.

The Alutrint smelter is expected to produce some 125,000 tonnes per year of primary products as ingots and wire, like ISPAT, and intends to export 80 per cent of these products with the balance allocated for local production of motor car wheels plus another 5,000 tonnes per year. In reality, Alutrint does not include a significant local downstream industry. But we were told at the PNM Government symposium that downstream plants are not located where there is cheap energy, but where there is a large market for the finished products. Hence Alutrint is about exporting its primary products to these established markets. Surely then in our scenario, where gas supply is limited, where smelters, like the Pt Lisas model, provide little employment, where the returns on natural gas are uneconomic, the building of smelters is inexplicable.

But the comment by the Prime Minister as he launched the e-Teck flagship building is enlightening. He sees T&T as embarking on a second industrialisation thrust. Other countries are involved instead in a knowledge-based thrust even in the use of their natural resources. If we examine what our human resource intends to do at Alutrint we see that the knowledge and innovation come from abroad, from the Chinese who are adept at poisoning their own environment while we again manage, operate and maintain heavy industrial plant. There are none as deaf as those who will not listen.

maryking@tstt.net.tt

EMA under Manning's thumb

2007-04-09T07:09:00.000-04:00

Letter to the Editor
Sunday Express
April 8, 2007

The EMA is Manning's footstool. The EMA's decision to permit a smelter plant in our tiny isle clearly demonstrates that they have no men of independent thought and action within that sorry body.

Their decision flies in the face of massive public opinion. Their actions have only confirmed and reinforced my view thatÂ we have a strong dictatorship in Trinidad and Tobago, a host of coward sycophants bowing and genuflecting to the Manning's regime.

Clearly our system of government has produced a nation in mental slavery.

Sadly, these are the people that hold the reins of power and act in favour of the Party in Power are there no independent thinkers who are capable and able to damn this demigod, this clay-footed megalomaniac who stamps on the people's rights with impunity.

Manning's public life is a colossal failure, but what is most disturbing, his failures are now leading us in the path of destruction which will probably make us one of the most depressed countriesÂ in the world. While he builds monuments to himself our people suffer for a lack of water, a proper educational system, a poor health service, massive congestion on the roads, leading to a waste of time, money and energy, and he has the gall to go running around the country, kissing babies while the country goes down and down into the quagmire of hopelessness and desperation.

Wake up T&T, before it's too late.

CF Ramcharan
St. Augustine

No Answers!

2007-04-08T21:23:00.000-04:00

by Anne Hilton
Sunday Newsday
April 8, 2007

“No answer” seems to be the stern reply to the questions posed in last week’s Environment Watch column. The EMA — well, the less said about the Environment Management Authority the better, in view of the, to my mind, questionable decision to grant Alutrint what I understand to be a conditional Certificate of Environmental Clearance.

At any rate, to date neither WASA nor the Authority has felt inclined to tell us who is going to police the Water Pollution Rules, and how — with particular reference, as the late Dr Eric Williams was so fond of saying, to back “street garages” and “mango tree mechanics.”

Nor has WASA cared to reveal whether or not the proposed scale of charges for polluting our water resources are likely to cover the cost of dealing with those pollutants. And there’s another thing I omitted to mention last week.

Are those pollution charges written in stone — by which I mean, are they a part of the Water Pollution Rules that can only be increased to meet increases in the cost of living by Act of Parliament, so that, as years go by, polluters laugh at the paltry sums imposed for poisoning the nation’s water resources (NOT, I hasten to point out, supply)?

And here’s another point for your consideration as you applaud or condemn the EMA’s decision on the smelter issue.

Remember the old adage “Prevention is better than cure” or, as Henry of Bratton (Henricus de Brattona or Bractona wrote concerning the laws and customs of England in 1240, or thereabouts — I give you a rough translation of the words written in Latin) “it is better and more useful to meet a problem in time than to seek a remedy after the damage is done.”

We all, well most of us, know that it’s easier to stop developers ruining an environment before ever bulldozers or backhoes carve out roads, or blocks are laid and cement trucks line up to pour foundations, than to have them tear down a completed building.

If I remember the La Brea case rightly, hectares of bush were cleared in preparation for an industrial complex without so much as a “by your leave” to the EMA.

It’s happened already — and one gets the impression the EMA’s attitude is that now the damage is done industrialisation might as well go ahead. Nor is the La Brea smelter the only industrial development “in the pipeline.”

To the Alutrint smelter add the proposed new methanol plant, new ethylene plant, another steel mill, new urea and ammonia plants.
The prospect is frightening — it is for me, at any rate, following Jared Diamond’s warnings in his book Collapse, and Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

There’s no doubt in my mind that that smelter or (Heaven forbid) those smelters, those new methanol, ethylene, urea, ammonia plants and steel mill are bound to accelerate the process of global warming leading to sea level rise as night follows day.

Of course, it won’t be the natural gas-guzzling industries, the sleek, modern office buildings, the million dollar homes that will be swallowed up by the sea — at least, not at first.

As Jared Diamond pointed out when he described the end of the Norse settlement in Greenland, first to go, first to be engulfed by the Gulf will be squatters’ homes in Sea Lots and houses in the Beetham.

The up-market, high-rise towers at Cocorite and Westmoorings may only be accessible by water taxi but the more modest townhouses built, like the Beetham, on swampland could be inundated.

Sooner or later the luxury towers must yield to the waters, sooner or later even the richest of the rich are affected. But while they can enjoy all the good things of life at the expense of others, while they can ignore the signs of disaster, of things to come, we are all at risk.

Yet, perhaps, we could, if we would, turn aside from the reckless course charted by those who refuse to face facts.

We could take up Professor “Gus” Speth’s challenge in his book Red Sky at Morning, and Jared Diamond’s advice in “Collapse and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.

It takes courage, it takes discipline, it takes self denial and a kind of re-birth to do what has to be done to save ourselves from the Inconvenient Red Skies of Collapse — which is a thought to ponder well this Easter morning.

Flee from smelter shame, Sister Penny

2007-04-08T06:59:00.000-04:00

Letter to the Editor
Sunday Express
April 8, 2007

This is an open memo to Minister of the Environment, Pennelope Beckles from a very concerned sister.

My dear sister Penny, today would be a good day to resign. Put two wheels on your heels and run from the shame.

We would like to think that you have had no part in the planning of "development" options that seriously endanger our environment, no part in the mamaguy of the EMA granting "permission" to build a smelter two years after the site was confidently cleared (savaged) for the building of said smelter.

Early in the game your Prime Minister told the nation that the smelter project was a "done deal" (translation: "Shut up!"). So the EMA Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) was already included, from morning, in the done deal?

Would our caring Government have spent our money to bulldoze acres of our land, destroying precious forest and wildlife, if they didn't have this permission in the bag since then, long before the EMA went through the motions of "consulting" and "assessing"?

Clearly, then, this CEC is a sad mamaguy. They mamaguy the country and they mamaguy you, Madam Minister of the Environment.

Through your Ministry's reafforestation programme you are busy planting trees all over the country, and they busy mashing down trees by the acre, not only on the south-west peninsula (Smelterland), but also Fort George, Tucker Valley coming up, and God knows where next.

We can't believe you are part of that. We can't believe you are in on the smelter "done deal" and all the other vandalism that your 2020 government is perpetrating on our environment. It has to be that they exclude you from their decision-making and treat you like another rubber stamp.

So get out of there, my sister. Run while we can still think of you as a woman of the people and a community activist devoted to service rather than to power at any cost. Write your name into the distinguished tradition of women in politics who dared to distance themselves from Party when their conscience told them to, thereby making a resounding statement against policies and actions that they considered wrong. These women chose principle over political power-women like Hulsie Bhaggan, Deborah Moore-Miggins, "Sister Pam" Nicholson, Gillian Lucky.

We wouldn't want history to count you, instead, among those who helped bring irreparable harm to our environment, to us, our children, and our future generations, by not taking a stand against the abuse of political power. Yours in sisterhood,

Merle Hodge

St Augustine

Not breathing easy

2007-04-05T21:27:00.000-04:00

Editorial
Newsday
April 5, 2007
Politically speaking, the granting of a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) to Alutrint was badly timed. The announcement by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) came mere hours after environmentalists met with Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the Cabinet’s Energy Committee to present their case against smelters. To get this announcement right after their meeting must make the environmentalists believe that the Government only wanted a basis for claiming that “consultations” had taken place.

The EMA’s already unimpressive reputation is also going to take a hit from this decision. This is not to say that the EMA did not have good grounds for giving Alutrint the green light to build its plant at La Brea. But the Authority now faces the challenge of making clear to the public the basis on which it has decided that pollutants from Alutrint, according to EMA chairman Dave MacIntosh, pose no threats to human beings or the environment. Indeed, in making the announcement, Mr MacIntosh showed he was aware of this challenge, emphasising that Alutrint would be shut down if it did not conform to the environmental guidelines set by the EMA and that the Government had not pressured the EMA to grant the CEC.

This latter assertion is already being scoffed at by environmentalists. Respected scientist Professor Julian Kenny went so far as to question the impartiality of the EMA Board which, he says, includes PNM Deputy Political Leader Nafeesa Mohammed. “The Government puts people who will give the appearance of professionalism and independence but who are political appointments who will do whatever the Government says,” Professor Kenny told Newsday.

Mr MacIntosh will have to refute Professor Kenny’s assertion, but the chairman has already stumbled in claiming that the Government was not pressuring the EMA. After all, Prime Minister Patrick Manning has made it clear in various public statements that he is set on having two — maybe three — aluminium smelters set up in Trinidad and Tobago. Given this country’s political culture, we find it unlikely that, if the Prime Minister can send such a message publicly, even more pressure would not have been brought to bear behind closed doors.

The EMA will also have to deal with the legal issues raised by Professor Kenny — to wit, that the Alutrint CEC breaches the Town and Country Planning Act. If this is so, it will strengthen the perception that the EMA is nothing more than a public relations tool for the Government. If it is not, however, then the EMA will be able to show that the environmental lobby is not treating with the issue in a fair manner. Yet, even if the EMA is given the benefit of doubt and it turns out that there were good grounds for granting the CEC, the issue of monitoring remains problematical. Is the Authority really going to ensure that Alutrinadheres to the reportedly strict standards imposed by the EMA? Would the EMA really defy the Prime Minister and shut down the plant if it didn’t?

The fact is, there is nothing in the EMA’s record which shows it is capable of such efficiency or even gumption. After all, since the Authority was set up, there has been no noticeable improvement in the environment of this country. It is also noteworthy that in its 15 years of existence the EMA has not commissioned an air quality or population health survey of the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and its environs. We hope the Authority will do better in respect to the smelters, but we are not holding our breath — although the residents of La Brea may have to.

Culture Jamming Trinidad style: Calling all Bobolizers

2007-04-04T07:27:00.000-04:00

Every Good Friday it is a common sight in communities across the country to see nationals beating the crap out of a Good Friday bobolee.
A bobolee is actually an effigy of that treacherous disciple Judas Iscariot who sold Christ for 30 pieces of silver.
Usually the bobolee takes on the likeness of whatever the community concern is
This Good Friday we're inviting all communities to dedicate their bobolee to one of the traitors of our national environment.
Take your pick and send us a pic of your portrayal of any of the Judas Iscariots who've sold out our country for thirty pieces of aluminum.