Pollution Licences Scandal

Monday, 09 April 2001 10:00

"In the last six months the EPA has progressively announced that several thousand licences for factories, local sewerage treatment plants, coal mines etc in rural, regional and urban NSW, will be reviewed - and supposedly invited public comment. But almost no-one knows about it and very few public submissions have been received. This is a rort of the process," said Jeff Angel, Director of the Centre.

"The community across NSW is being disenfranchised."

"There has been minimal contact with community groups and councils, just a few small newspaper adverts and opportunistic media comments. What is worse is that when you try to make a comment on the licence and the type of pollution and waste management that might be acceptable to protect the environment and the local community, it is very difficult to obtain information about the operations of the facility and its pollution record."

"The Public Register of pollution licence information that is required by law * and
might help the public participate in the process, does not exist and the EPA tells people wanting information to use expensive Freedom of Information laws."

"The EPA is not committed to making the system work. We call on the Minister for Environment to suspend the licence review process and instruct the Environment Protection Authority to complete the Public Register; undertake intensive public exhibition and consultation and release key information into the public domain," said Mr Angel.

"Very few of the pollution licences have ever had environmental assessment. This is the only chance to reduce environmental impacts and involve the community However, the system the EPA is using will simply entrench the traditional EPA -industry relationships," Mr Angel concluded.

Licence Report