Agriculture and industry can prosper together

In Alcoa’s developmental plan for the 1500-acre Cap de Ville site, the company proposes to only clear approximately one third of the total area for the smelter and related facilities. This will leave the balance for undisturbed vegetation, agricultural development, environmental education, and some potential later expansion. This has been said and published many times.

As we have made clear in numerous face to face meetings with community representatives and interested stakeholders in Trinidad over the past few months, Alcoa in conjunction with the NEC, will consult with the local community in order to develop a plan for utilisation of the remaining land for activities such as agricultural development, ecological and cultural conservation, and education — as is done at Alcoa smelter locations in other parts of the world, such as Brazil, Australia, and North America.

It is simply not true to imply that the community has to make a choice between agriculture and the strengthening and diversification of the economy through the addition of a new and modern manufacturing industry.

As we have proven with our plant in Brazil, where 119 local families harvest approximately 30 tons of fresh produce monthly from agricultural land within our Sao Luis smelter, both agriculture and industry can prosper alongside each other.

Relocation is a difficult and sensitive issue, which Alcoa agrees may affect about 70 homes on the Cap de Ville site. While it is the government’s responsibility to determine the need for relocation and conduct the process, Alcoa has said publicly many times that we desire to work with both the Government and the people affected to ensure that the fairest and most equitable outcome possible is achieved. We continue to stand by that. However, quite contrary to the extraordinary claim made above, the proposed Cap de Ville site contains no mosques, no churches, no schools, no temples, no community centres, no water treatment plant, and no recreation grounds.

Should there be any sites of archaeological, historical, religious, cultural or national significance, they will be identified during the Environmental Impact Assessment and treated according to their significance.

With respect to the smelter waste, namely the Spent Pot Lining (SPL) Alcoa has consistently said that it will not landfill nor otherwise discard any SPL in Trinidad and Tobago.

There are now viable processes for productive use of this material.

These processes are currently successfully operating in the US, Europe, Canada, Brazil, and Australia, and Alcoa will actively pursue such processes for dealing with SPL generated by the smelter in Trinidad and Tobago.

The same correspondent goes on to claim widespread destruction of fish and fisheries as a result of the proposed smelter project. Once again, these are unfounded allegations, not supported by any evidence associated with the operation of a modern smelter such as that proposed for the Cap de Ville site.

Finally, the same correspondent and others allege that Alcoa is being provided with free gas. This is also not true. Alcoa will pay for the gas it uses throughout the life of the project.

I trust that this letter serves to dispel the allegations made recently and I welcome further discussion on this project, which has rightly been described as "putting Trinidad and Tobago’s energy to work in Trinidad and Tobago."

RANDY OVERBEY

Alcoa Trinidad and Tobago Project Team