Drumming Truth to Summit of Americas: Heads of States Reject Transparency Recommendation by Civil Society

Friday, April 10, 2009

Heads of States Reject Transparency Recommendation by Civil Society

When the CARIBBEAN SUB REGIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM met in POS Trinidad on October 30-31, 2008, in preparation for the April 2009 Summit, it recommended “reporting on energy and environmental developments and basing these on international codes of best practice for the energy and extractive industries in compliance with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and for the new biofuel industries”.

Unsurprisingly, this recommendation was left out of the draft Declaration of Commitment to be signed by the Heads of State. The EITI aims to strengthen governance by improving transparency and accountability in the extractives sector. The EITI sets a global standard for companies to publish what they pay and for governments to disclose what they receive. Why would the host State Trinidad & Tobago want to avoid global transparency standards in the oil and gas sector? Because a “GAS RUSH” is on…

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Mr.Leroy Mayers, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, Trinidad and Tobago

A juggler of many interests - on July 7th, 2009, Mr. Mayers revealed himself to be no ordinary PS. He is also Chairman of the Board of Alutrint, a Board Member of the National Energy Corporation (NEC), owner and landlord of UIE and a Board Member of Trinidad Generation Unlimited (TGU) - the power plant under construction at UIE to convert natural gas into electricity to sell to Alutrint. Mayers finds himself as a constant in the classical formula for conflict of interest, one which would prevent the PS from transparently carrying out his Permanent Secretary responsibilities - the ‘Chief Accounting Officer’ in the Ministry of Energy.

Ex-Chair of the EMA Board Agard also appeared as Judas

He refused written requests to meet with NGOs prior to the EMA granting environmental clearance to Alutrint. Chapter 7 of the EIA dealing with "Hazard Scenarios" states: “Overall, the results indicated that, while the release of hydrogen fluoride under abnormal conditions of operation could potentially have adverse health effects (injury or fatality) on the workers on site, human receptors living or working outside the 550m zone (outside the plan boundary) may not be exposed to concentrations above 3 ppm.”

Summit of Power Plants and Smelters, thus spake the Prime Minister

JUSTIFICATION

During 17th to 19th April, 2009, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, 34 Heads of American States turned up to sign a ‘Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain' for “Securing our Citizens’ Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability.”

Yet the People of Trinidad and Tobago are facing 'energy insecurity', 'anti-sustainable development' and increasing 'pauperism' - the opposite to what is being declared for example:

construction of hazardous, energy intensive and global warming industries - aluminium and steel smelters,

sacrifice of environmental and social goods to meet market demand for quarry aggregate

proposed construction of privately owned, energy intensive desalination plants despite the abundance of naturally occurring and easy to harness fresh water

insistence on fragmented assessments of social and environmental impacts of large developments

refusal to assess and disclose full costs-benefit accounting of heavy gas based industrialization

unwillingness to implement Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative which would make public the price at which our non-renewable resources (natural gas) are being exported

refusal to make public the price at which our natural gas is supplied locally to foreign investors in the industrial sector and

failure to articulate any plan for long-term energy security requirements of citizens of T&T

OUR BACKGROUND

The TRUTH DRUMMERS originate in the 'anit-smelter alliance' that worked with the community of Chatham in South-West Trinidad to defeat the 2005/2006 attempt by the Aluminium Company of America (ALCOA) to capture over 500ha of land to establish a smelter.

We have challenged in our High Courts the State aluminium smelter ‘ALUTRINT’ to be financed and built by China (Judicial Review Judgment pending) and the proposed ‘Essar’ Iron and Steel Complex proposed for Claxton Bay.

We disagree with the uncontrolled quarrying of the Northern Range, where 80% of naturally occurring drinking water originates.

KEY SUMMIT EVENT

Meet and join us at the "Drummit 2 Summit" event: Saturday 18th April at 3:00pm to 6:00pm at the St. James Amphitheater, on Western Main Road, St. James (2 miles west of POS between Smokey's and Gayelle).

The Drummit2summiT event is being covered live by Gayelle TV and streaming live through their website: http://www.gayelletv.com/

Event starts with welcome and seating of Cuban Drum followed by declarations by independent Community Activists. There will be a key note address titled, "Truth about Hope and Fear" & poetry by Martin Carter and Pablo Neruda with performances and more...

You do not want to miss this "DRUMMIT 2 SUMMIT" EVENT...you can even walk with your own drums and join in (any kind - tassa, tabla, steel or congo) all drummers welcome to come forward!

Manning will try and feather his cap with a 'green' Obama but the Emperor has no clothes

At the Powergen sod turning in Point Lisas he called opponents to his smelters “right wing environmentalist" (March, 2006). When responding to public outcry over more smelters and divining an island if necessary to accommodate them, he lamented “Anything that you want to do in this country there are always those who are against it, if you listen to them you will gain nothing. I would never be found guilty of inactivity”. (October, 2006, when he announced that Government has proposals for a third aluminium smelter to be constructed in the country).