 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ESIA Terms of Reference
The Environmental Management Authority's Environmental and Social Impact Assessment process requires that the Terms of Reference (the guidelines from the EMA for conducting the ESIA) must be open for public review before they are finalized. This ensures that members of the local community, non-governmental organisations, and members of the public in general can determine whether or not the Terms of Reference cover all the questions that the developers must answer in order to allow a proper evaluation of the effects—positive and negative—that the project will have on the environment and community.
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
This is a detailed study that identifies what environmental and social conditions currently exist and then determines likely effects of the project on those conditions and what must be done to mitigate any negative effects.
Environmentally, the ESIA must consider potential effects on soil, water, air, plants, and animals. Socially, it must consider potential effects on people, their health, and their communities.
Public Review
The ESIA process gives all the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago both the right and the opportunity to participate and be heard. This process, which is led and overseen by the EMA, invites public review and input from both the community at large and by all relevant government agencies, including those responsible for community health, safety, water, forestry, agriculture, and fisheries.
The ESIA process provides a sound scientific basis for determining what measures need to be taken to protect environmental values and community health. Until this process has run its full course—and the public and respective expert agencies have been given the opportunity to analyze and provide input to the report—it is premature to speculate on what those measures will or should be.
We do know this. We can be confident that, as a result of the open ESIA process and Alcoa's inherent values, the health of the workforce, community, and the environment surrounding the plant will be protected.
Smelter Visit
In May 2006, community members from Trinidad visited an Alcoa smelter in Brazil to see how such a facility operates and how it is regarded by the local community.
|
|
|
|
|
