Memorandum submitted by Allan G Norman (AQ09)
Air Quality Inquiry
1. I would wish to draw to the
Committee's attention the view of many people in Port Talbot (the most polluted
town in
2. The recent example of
the granting of a licence to Prenergy for a large woodchip power station in the
town shows quite clearly that the Environment Agency sees one of its primary
responsibilities under the Environment Protection Act 1995 as "to make a
contribution towards attaining the objectives of achieving sustainable
development" as determined by ministers, even when the ministers are obviously
wrong. It has accepted dubious computer modelling data and set spurious
limitations on the pollution arising from the new plant that it knows cannot be
achieved by the company in the knowledge that the source of the PM10s or PAHs
cannot be proven. Therefore, no action will be taken against the company even
if the pollution in the town exceeds even more the guidelines set by Europe and
the
3. Fear of the potential loss of jobs should too much pressure be put on Corus regarding air pollution means also that the local council and the Welsh Assembly do all in their power to obfuscate the true state of air pollution in the town.
4. The people of
10 December 2009 |