Silence on the smelter

TWO WEEKS ago, we drew to the attention of the government and the public of Trinidad and Tobago the health and environmental problems associated with the operation of aluminium smelters in different parts of the world. We expected that by now some statement with respect to these concerns would have been forthcoming either from the Ministry of Energy or the National Energy Corporation which is Alcoa’s partner in this $1billion project. However, our editorial has been met with a stony silence which we find somewhat disturbing since we believe the Government should be anxious to allay any fears and apprehensions that the smelter to be established at Union Estate in La Brea would be quite safe, presenting none of the serious health and environmental hazards experienced with aluminium smelters in such places as Australia, Canada, Russia and Iceland.

We must point out that we are not in the business of raising undue or unwarranted alarms about industrial projects intended to boost the country’s economic development. This is not what we are about here. But while we rush into projects intended to achieve the vision of developed nation status by 2020, we must be careful to ensure that this “progress” does not harm the country irretrievably in other ways; that the health and safety of workers and surrounding residents are not jeopardised and that the natural environment is not sacrificed in the process. The fact of the matter is that other countries have had unfortunate, even tragic, experiences with the volume of toxic emissions and waste generated by such smelters and the health of workers engaged in many of these plants have been irreparably damaged. This is a matter of established record.

As one example, we referred in our previous editorial to the controversy which arose over the proposal to build a smelter on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in Russia. The smelter plan provoked the protest of public environmental organisations from nine countries of the Baltic Sea region which pointed out a year ago that regional NGOs and local communities had begun to question the project, demanding an assessment of its impact on health and the environment, and requesting public hearings and open debate on the proposal. For this reason, the continuing silence over this smelter project and its possible hazards is disquieting.

Particularly so since normally vocal environmental groups and activists appear to be unconcerned. Indeed, we must wonder whether the EMA itself has taken any steps to determine the truth of this matter or whether the Authority has the courage or the conviction to take any action whatever with regard to these concerns. We find the silence and the apparent complacency in this regard disturbing.