Quarrel over Chatham smelter

The luncheon was held at Cross Crossing, San Fernando. Representing the Chatham/ Cap-de-Ville Environmental Protection Group were president Fitzroy Beache; geologist and petroleum engineer Reg Potter; former director of the TT Chapter of Transparency International Petra Bridgemohan and environmental engineer Cathal Sealy Singh. The clash occurred during the question-and-answer session when NGC’s John Jones was answering questions about the total acreage of land that is to be bulldozed for the plant’s construction. Jones said the land size was an estimated 1,500 acres with the plant occupying 500 acres and 60 acres designated to house the power plant. Beache said the plant’s environmental effects would be devastating to the peninsula’s wildlife. He said the toxins would cause animals to run “helter skelter” from the area.

Beache, who pledged to “give up my life and my blood” for the preservation of the rural community, told the luncheon the smelter would contanimate the aquifer that supplies water throughout the south western peninsula. During his presentation, Potter questioned the viability of building another high-energy consumption plant. He said the country’s natural reserves were in the order of 12.9 years of proven reserves.

“In a few years, there is going to be a shortage and what is going to happen to all of those industries. Who are you going to cut off?” he asked. There was cross-talk between Jones and Sealy Singh, when Singh accused certain authorities of imparting wrong information about total acreage and the impact on wildlife.

Chatham residents are expected to take part in an eight-day walk from Cedros to Port-of-Spain, starting today.