[Greens-Media] Kicking and Screaming

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT GREENS MLA DEB FOSKEY MEDIA RELEASE
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6 Aug 08


Kicking and Screaming

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey expressed her delight with today's
announcement that ACPLA will require a full Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) of ActewAGL's gas fired power plant and data centre
proposal.

"In May when the community was confronted by the original larger
project, I called for the ACT Government to commit to a full EIS but it
refused" Dr Foskey said today.

"Three months have gone by. The proposal has been downscaled and
revamped, and now an EIS has been called for."

 "I'd like to congratulate ACTPLA and the Minister on taking the right
steps eventually.  But Government Ministers could have taken a more
proactive approach on this front and committed to an EIS at a much
earlier stage, since there were clearly significant environmental
concerns."

"While the EIS has been called for at the allotted time in the
established DA process, it was obvious it was needed back in May. The
Planning Minister could have called for it then, thus reducing the
potential for delay while the EIS was prepared.

"I think ActewAGL will be distressed that the EIS is only being
triggered now since the LAST thing they wanted was a delay. Perhaps in
future it would serve them better to pay attention to the Greens rather
than the Government when environmental impact needs to be assessed."

"I congratulate the local residents of Macarthur and Fadden for their
work on raising issues of concern to them and the wider ACT community,
and appreciate that Health Minister Katy Gallagher took her health
portfolio seriously and showed leadership in Government."

"All major projects need to be properly assessed in terms of health,
environmental and social impact; and it is never adequate where that
assessment is done by the project's proponent," Dr Foskey said. 

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Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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