CBRM to review environmental assessment options
By Tanya Collier Macdonald
Cape Breton Post
Thurs., Jan. 13, 2005
The Cape Breton Regional
Municipality will review which
option it will support for a
necessary environmental assessment
of cleanup plans for the
tar ponds and coke ovens sites.
During a public services
committee meeting Wednesday
at the Civic Centre, Coun.
Vince Hall presented concerns
regarding the possibility of a
full panel assessment for the
planned cleanup project.
"I ask the (chief accounting
officer) to do a staff report to go
over all issues surrounding the
tar ponds and coke ovens
cleanup," said Hall. "We're on
the eve of the cleanup plan
being announced publicly."
Hall said a more responsible
approach needs to be taken to
bring the community "up to
speed."
At issue is how the Canadian
Environmental Assessment
Agency will evaluate cleanup
plans for the toxic sites.
Options include a full panel
review of independent experts,
a comprehensive study or an
environmental screening.
Coun. Wes Stubbert said the
tar ponds issue has been studied
"more often than cancer.
It's been debated in every
forum imaginable."
Wednesday's submission by
Hall - prepared by the Sydney
Tar Ponds Agency - reported
that some, including Sierra
Club of Canada representatives,
have said that a full panel
review can be completed in less
than six months.
The report stated that
"statements such as this are
completely devoid of credibility."
Statutory processes alone
require a minimum of 13
months to complete a panel
review, it continued.
"Apart from the time
required to appoint its members,
one of the biggest problems
associated with panel
time lines is that the panel can
decide, at any time and for any
reason, to demand further
information, research, study or
modelling of any aspect of the
project," the document stated.
"After having spent more
than $20 million on more than
100 studies and investigations
over the past seven years, it's
hard to imagine that there is
anything that hasn't already
been adequately studied."
During a recent trip to Cape
Breton, Scott Brison, minister
of public works and Government
Services Canada, said
that if the assessment is too
simple in its approach and not
consistent with precedence, the
decision could be exposed to
legal action.
tcmacdonald@cbpost.com
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