Published On:Saturday, January 16, 2010

EDITOR, The Tribune.

A scientist who has done a lot of work throughout the Bahamas had the following to say about the EIA for the Wilson City BEC plant. I thought it was worth sharing with those of us who didn't get to read the EIA.

Another Concerned

Abaco Resident

Said the scientist:

As a scientist who has long conducted research in The Bahamas, I was recently afforded the opportunity to review the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Wilson City Bunker C plant. I feel so relieved after doing so. A couple of points I found reassuring:

* A survey was conducted over a 100 acre parcel in the vicinity of the plant. In this 100 acre area surveyed for the EIA (and I quote): "No birds or wild animals were discerned in the site vicinity." What a relief! Not one hog, bird, lizard nor ant! Those shotgun shells on the road must be from hunters shooting at rocks. Nice to know that not ONE single animal was affected by the land clearing.

* Since no land animals were observed, I guess we can safely infer that there are also no aquatic animals where the docking will take place, and not a single fish, conch or crawfish in the adjacent wetlands. There were NO surveys done of these aquatic areas (apart from confirming that mangroves are "present"), but I think it is safe to assume that nothing lives there.

And I had thought the pipeline was running adjacent to the most productive nursery for Nassau grouper, conch and lobster on the island. I am glad I was proved wrong.

* Luckily, any adverse effects will not affect the settlement nearest to the plant,ie, "Spring City....located more than 8 miles from the site." This is repeatedly emphasized in the EIA -- no people live closer than 7-8 miles. That is fortuitous, because my calculations suggest that Cherokee is just over 5 miles away, Casuarina Point, 6 miles, the Winding Bay development and Big Bird farm, 4 miles, and Little Harbour less than 4 miles. And the cays adjacent to the plant must be much, much, further away than they seem. I am glad I had made these errors in my calculations! Surely, the EIA team didn't just see the Spring City road on the way to the site by car, and just assume it was the closest settlement.

* "Poor materials and handling practices at Clifton Pier, Blue Hills, and Marsh Harbour has required the apparent need for extensive ground clean-up..." But the EIA repeatedly assures us that no such problems are "anticipated" at Wilson City. Thank goodness.

I will cease with the sarcasm. In reality, this was the single most inappropriate and poorly written document I have come across in my scientific career. Pages of text non-applicable to the Wilson City site, text obvious cut and pasted from other EIAs, and blatant omissions render the document largely useless. That such an error-laden and irrelevant EIA can underpin a massive project like the BEC power plant is scary for the people of Abaco and The Bahamas. This document reads not like an actual EIA, but more like a JDACS: "Justify the Development at Any Cost Statement". The possible impacts on terrestrial and marine life are barely alluded to at all, because "best management practices" will always be employed. Judging by recent history, this doesn't reassure me.

I view the Wilson City site as not just a poor site for this plant, but perhaps the worst site on the island. But it is one thing to criticise, and another to propose a solution.

There do seem to be alternatives, perhaps the Norman's Castle site.

The potential environmental impacts at the Norman's Castle site pale with that of Wilson City.

At the very least, a real environmental impact assessment should be done at the Wilson City site before moving forward. Embarking on these massive development projects that are justified by irrelevant EIAs should be unacceptable to the people of The Bahamas.

It is a scary practice to accept.