Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon has planned to boycott the commissioning of a dust collector unit for one of the kilns at the Bosai bauxite plant, unless the company responds to queries about the safety of the unit.
Bosai, in a press release, announced that a dust collector will be installed and commissioned at the number 14 kiln on or before August 1 and it had invited stakeholders to visit the unit at its Mackenzie location to verify its readiness.
But Solomon told Stabroek News earlier this week that he would not attend the commissioning if Bosai fails to respond to a letter his office had dispatched to them. “…It’s not just a matter of commissioning an instrument [it] is the authenticity and safety of what is being installed that’s the concern of residents,” Solomon said, while adding that Bosai has failed to answer a number of queries about the unit.
In a letter dated July 5, 2012 and which was shared with this newspaper, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) requested a meeting with Bosai on the efficiency of the system; identification of the air toxins to be removed by it; establishment of mandatory long term air emission standards for air toxins associated with [its] operations; installation of an air quality monitoring network after the system becomes operational; and definition of punitive measures for non-compliance with mandatory air quality guidelines.
Solomon, who penned the letter, also stated that there had been significant complaints concerning emissions to air from Bosai’s operations and that the company had agreed to install an air quality abatement system to reduce emissions. He noted that it was understood that the company had provided documentation to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the proposed air abatement system. “We the residents of Region 10 are the primary stakeholders in this process. Accordingly we would like to request a meeting with both Bosai and the EPA to examine the envisaged air quality standards associated with the proposed air quality abatement system,” he wrote, adding that it was also expected that agreement on the above would indicate Bosai’s commitment to achievable Corporate Social Responsibility standards typically associated with its type of operation.
The RDC was also concerned about the “historic impact on human health and the environment” associated with Bosai’s operations. “As you are aware, residents of Region 10 have incurred both health and other environmental costs associated with air emissions from your operations.
These air emissions include dust emitted by truck traffic. We consider it critically important that some consensus be arrived at for addressing these historic and continuing environmental costs of your operations to the residents of Region 10 in general and to the residents of Linden in particular,” the letter said.
The RDC also requested a copy of the Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) completed for Bosai’s operations by SENES of Canada and the Environmental Permit for the operation based on that ESIA. “These we understand are public domain documents since a primary part of the ESIA process is public consultation,” the letter said. A request was also made for preliminary information, including the pre-feasibility assessment for the proposed mining expansion into the Block 32 area, as the RDC expected that an “ESIA would form a mandatory part of expansion and that residents of Region 10 will be involved in the public consultation process in accordance with the EPA Act 1996.”
Solomon said that an attempt was previously made to have the queries ventilated but due to miscommunication and the unavailability of key persons, a meeting was recently called off. The media and several other stakeholders, including RDC councillors and an advisor to the RDC were all available but key Bosai officers were absent.
