Elements of a Coalition Manifesto

Elements to consider:

1) T&T has no Energy Security Plan. We needed one 10 years ago when we embarked on heavy gas based industrialization and LBG exports. Today the national gas tank is much less than half empty. We are over committed. Yet China is building a smelter here and India was pursuing a Steel plant (Essar). As you know T&T was the largest supplier of LNG to the USA for 10 years! We have been binging on gas. The USA did not have to touch their gas (T&T was USA’s energy security policy!). We need to re-examine the cost-benefits of continuing this as the remaining gas becomes more expensive as it depletes.

We also need to revisit the ‘heavy gas based industrial’ model. These industries export wealth and pay a pittance in rent. This is Lloyd Best’s “Plantation Economy”. We need to develop an Energy Security policy which includes a transition timetable to renewable energy (solar). I would suggest 20% of existing commercial and domestic demand met by renewable energy within 10 years.

Furthermore, Trinidad (La Brea) should become a Regional centre for assembly of renewable energy technology, starting with solar. The fate of the Caribbean tourism market lies in its ability to compete and transition into ‘low carbon small island economies’. Our Regional policy should be to facilitate this transition. This will provide security and reduce immigration pressures.

2) The Alutrint smelter is the helm of the PNM’s Vison 2020. The flawed Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) process was used to approve ALutrint while concealing the economic costs as well as health risks. This is why RAG challenged the decision in court.

We need to amend the CEC process to make it (i) democratic, that is, public opinion should count in determining types of development and (ii) the ‘Sustainability’ of the proposed project must be determined based not only on ‘environmental’ and ‘social’ criteria but also ‘economic’. Presently the EMA does not consider, nor does the public have the right to know, if a project is economically feasible or not! Only the government and the foreign investor are aware of this. Evidence of this for the Rapid Rail project lies in the EMA files – the National Infrastructure Development Company (responsible for engaging the French consortia to build, own and operate TriniTrain) gained ‘permission’ from the EMA to keep the economic costs’ “Confidential”. RAG pointed this out to the Cunupia Farmers Association. This is astounding.

Any manifesto must revisit this CEC decision making process as it is presently anti-sustainable.

3) With regards Food Security, I am sure the NFFA will address this. As with Energy, we also need ‘Security Plans’ for Food and Water. This is an imperative in this era of climate change and breakdown. Also, we need to reduce use of industrial chemicals and increase infrastructure for small farmers. We should be promoting organic farming for export and local consumption. This is the fastest growing food sector in the ‘developed world’. A Food Security Plan would set a time table for ‘food sovereignty’ as well as targets for achieving organic crop outputs.

4) With regards to water, the PNM waged a war against our Northern Range watersheds by deregulating the quarrying sector. As you know 80% of our drinking water originates in the Northern Range. Lenny Saith championed the deregulation. New quarries (under 150 acres I have to cynically remind myself) were removed from the EMA’s list of ‘Designated Activities’, requiring an Environmental Impact Assessment and no longer subject to the Certificate of Environmental Clearance process (flawed as it may be). Penelope Beckles championed the first deregulation – she passed the bill through parliament, by ‘negative resolution’. No one opposed it (July 2007).

We went to see the Minister of Energy over this matter, along with residents of Acono Village, Maracas Valley, as we were all opposed to a new quarry coming in. The reason why this deregulation was so damaging to our water resources is because the EMA, back in 2004, in their annual report, recommended that “no new quarries be approved for the Northern Range”. This was because of the extreme problem that exists for contaminating our surface waters, particularly those feeding WASA’s water treatment plants that are located at the foothills of the Northern Range (like Guanapo). Moreover, the Ministry of Energy, responsible for issuing quarry licences recognized in 2005 a “deluge of environmental problems” cause by quarrying.

Yet the PMN went even further in its war against water – they further deregulated the quarrying sector in 2008, through a second step, removing “clearing, grading, excavating and backfilling on slopes greater than 1:4” form the list of ‘Designated Activities’ (Elanor Dick-Forde Gaynor championed this bill, again passed by ‘negative resolution’).

What is disturbing about the PNM policy is that while they were intentionally destroying our naturally occurring water they were entering into new contracts to build desalination plants. These plants are energy intensive and the most expensive way to produce water. More importantly they are not necessary, unless of course if you mash all naturally occurring water. The other point about these plants is that they are privately owned. In 2004 WASA was paying DESALCOTT TT15M/month for water mostly supplied to Point Lisas. While there may have been logic in supplying the industrial sector (foreign investors) with desalinated water for a high price, what is now being proposed is that private water owners will supply domestic consumers.

Right now Blue Waters own one of the richest groundwater aquifers in the country and pays a pittance to WASA for it and sells water at a premium. Can this be correct? Is water a right that comes with responsibility from consumers? Is water for profit?

This issue has to be addressed in the Manifesto. I have many ideas on this issue. Essentially, we need to explore and optimize use of natural water resources, protect our most valuable and water bearing watersheds, by designating them ‘Specially Protected Areas’ and focus desalination on industrial usage. Water is a Right that comes with Responsibility” Trinidad by the way is a water “rich” country. We just do not have any respect for it.

5) Finally, the Manifesto needs to address East Port-of-Spain. A few years ago I was involved in a Urban Planning ‘demonstration’ project for insitu regularization of the Sogren Trace area in East POS. I proposed a novel mechanism for rebuilding the infrastructure, through multiple micro-contracts issued by the resident community group. We provided technical and administrative capacity building while the Land Settlement Agency provided the funds. We developed the relationship between small local contractors and community organizations and at the same time built their capacities to interact and function. This model can be used to regenerate the social fabric and physical infrastructure of East POS.

6) T&T is a ‘throw away’ society. We need to find an alternative to the Beetham dump. There are no studies on the air quality in this area but people are suffering from air pollution. We need to set a date to close Beetham. We should establish a national recycling centre for glass, plastics and metals. We should be recycling organic material as compost. We need a hazardous waste treatment and containment facility. Recycling targets should be set (e.g. 40% by 2015)