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Press Release Two:
For Immediate Release - 9/15/2006
Press Release from Cedros Peninsula United
Trinidad's Cedros Peninsula on Lock Down for Anti-Alcoa Protest
In protest of Alcoa Inc's soil testing exercises in the Cedros
Peninsula in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad, residents effectively
locked down the Southwestern peninsula by felling trees to block the
only access road to the Peninsula last Thursday Sept. 14th.
The residents of the Cedros Peninsula see what Alcoa claims to be 'soil
testing' as nothing more than intimidation tactics on the part of
Alcoa. Alcoa's spokesperson Wade Hughes claimed in recent news reports
that their incursions onto the area are part of an Environmental Impact
Assessment as required by the Environmental Management Authority. Yet,
soil testing by Alcoa on the premises was already done in January of
2005 and the test results had been already submitted with Alcoa's
recent application to the EMA.
Residents fear a repeat of the happenings in Iceland where Alcoa
proceeded to build an aluminum smelter plant without having the
proper environmental clearances and despite a valid court conviction to
that fact.
In a recent poll conducted by the Trinidad Guardian newspaper, only 17%
of Trinidad's population was in favor of the controversial Alcoa
aluminum smelter plant.
Alcoa's incursion into the Cedros Peninsula for what they claim to be
'soil testing' was done under heavy armed police guard and almost cost
an 18 month old child's life when a tractor carrying heavy equipment
forced its way through the protesters. Even a recent 'public
consultation' by Alcoa regarding the smelter plant was done while the
building was surrounded by armed police officers.
The residents of Trinidad's Southwestern peninsula are opposing the controversial project on several points:
The smelter plant (and another smelter plant by one of Alcoa's
competitors are planned to be built on a large water system (aquifer)
that supplies clean drinking water to a large part of South Trinidad's
population. This water system is the single largest on the Island.
Residents feel that the proposed 270,000 pounds of Fluoride emissions
from the Alcoa smelter and the many other toxic emission that Alcoa
admits to in their own Environmental Clearance application will
permanently damage this important water source.
Trinidadians are also genuinely concerned about the secrecy surrounding
the Alcoa deal with the Trinidad government. Very little details have
been made public by Alcoa or the Government. What is known is that a
subsidized supply of natural gas for electricity generation was
promised to Alcoa for the next 30 years. According to official
government statistics, Trinidad only has 15 years of proven gas
reserves left. This offers great concerns regarding the economic future
of Trinidad and Tobago.
Another twist to the gas supply dilemma is that the Trinidad government
has disclosed in the newspapers that it is hoping to use Venezuelan gas
supplies once the 15 years of proven reserves run out which residents
feel could be seen as a precursor to possible military action against
Venezuela if Venezuela refuses to supply natural gas to power an 100%
US-owned Aluminum smelter only 3 miles from their coastal borders.
There is also great concern about the legal legitimacy of the project
as important Environmental applications have been filed containing
false and inaccurate information with omitted or missing data and
information throughout.
There are further great concerns about residents safety as Alcoa's
smelter plant is planned at the entrance of the Cedros Peninsula with
only one access road leading in and out. The smelter will have a 30"
natural gas pipeline feeding a 600mW power plant and is located only
about 2 miles from one of the world's largest LNG terminals and 2 miles
from a major earthquake fault line, the Los Bajos fault.
Safety of LNG and Natural Gas is a major concern in the US and strict
safety guidelines are in effect to prevent natural gas disasters as
they happened in Nigeria and Algeria not too long ago. None of these
safety guidelines are in effect or being followed in Trinidad.
Alcoa's Kevin Lowery recently claimed that residents of the affected
area are "bending backward to help Alcoa" The reality is that the few
residents that have agreed to the soil testing exercise by Alcoa have
done so under threat of losing their property. Alcoa so far has painted
a very distorted picture of the situation regarding their Trinidad
Aluminum Smelter project to the international press.
The residents of the Cedros Peninsula invite (no, beg!) the
international press to come down to Trinidad to get the true story on
this Alcoa project and to talk to the residents and their fellow
journalists in Trinidad.
Protests will continue and are likely to intensify during the next days
and weeks as residents of Trinidad's Southwestern Peninsula are
determined to stop the Alcoa smelter project.
Photographs:
http://www.nosmeltertnt.com/newsletter.html
(hi-resolution downloads for press use available by request)
Contact Information for the Environmental Management Authority:
http://www.ema.co.tt