From Beach.....

To Wasteland....

Is this really what we want to happen to our Island?
Looking at Clifton Hill, Point Fortin today one would never believe there was a thriving beach front just a few years ago, but a picture speaks a thousand words. Would the rest of the south-west peninsula lose their beaches too? Would the hordes of  inter-island Sunday bus tourists to Granville stop? We have to learn from the past, Atlantic LNG promised a lot when they came to Point Fortin and a hospital that never materialized is an example. Yes, computers were supplied to the Point Fortin library, but for more than a year they are not working and no one seems to be doing anything about it. The photo opportunities are many, as they launch this ..., and give that ....,  but when the press is gone what are the actual results.

Alcoa says "As an integral part of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago's strategic development of the south west of the country, the smelter project will contribute to the overall development and enhancement of community facilities such as roads, schools, hospitals, and sporting and cultural facilities in the area".   Notice they are not promising  that they will do any of this, but the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Aren't roads, schools, hospitals, and sporting and cultural facilities already part of government's plans for all of Trinidad? If not, the plans need fixing. Do we need an aluminum smelter for government to fix the road? Road fixing should have been done years ago. With the amount of trucks that will need to come in to build a smelter, electrical plant etc, the roads will deteriorate long before the smelter starts.

"The smelter would be designed to meet the highest environmental standards set for any new Alcoa project in the world...  In Trinidad and Tobago, Alcoa will undertake an extensive environmental impact assessment to ensure that we can build and operate this smelter safely, without damage to the surrounding environment. Trinidad and Tobago law requires that the community be consulted extensively during this process...."Alcoa. Who sets the environmental standards? Not the EMA or the elected government of T&T but Alcoa. There is no way a smelter can be built without damage to the surrounding environment. Alcoa with its millions can pay lots of experts to say what is in their favour, as in the legal sense expert witnesses for the defense or for the prosecution. They claim they will consult the community, but after a few meetings and 90% of the community saying NO are they heeding the community wishes. And what is the community?

In the small Cedros Peninsula is it only the Chatham/Cap-de-Ville residents who will be affected?  What about the other villages, wouldn't Point Coco fishermen livelihood be affected, wouldn't Granville roofs corrode with the acidity in the air, wouldn't Bonasse drivers have to sit in traffic daily with trucks upon trucks on the roads? "We intend to be good neighbours, even as we embark on this next six to 12 months work to determine the feasibility of constructing this smelter..." Alcoa.Why hasn't Alcoa had any meetings with these villages, its planned neighbours? Is that what a good neighbour does, dump rubbish on your lawn?A smelter plant is not like a parking lot, it does not stop at its borders, but affects the surrounding areas by air, water and sea.