The Guardian 17 October, 2007
Pulp Mill: Did Chief Scientist
come down in last shower?
The Tasmanian Greens are critical of the decision that allows the Tamar pulp mill to be built whilst scientific studies are underway on vital effluent issues, and, as outlined by the Chief Scientist Jim Peacock, relies on government having the fortitude to deny Gunns the ability to operate the mill if the science shows unacceptable effluent impacts.
Greens leader Peg Putt MHA said it was naïve to believe that the mill would be prevented from operating once built, and that the failure to take the precautionary approach of insisting that the scientific studies be completed prior to construction, so that the need for changes or the impossibility of making effluent impacts acceptable would be known in time to do something about it.
"Did the Chief Scientist come down in the last shower?" Ms Putt asked.
"He’s saying that the scientific studies he has insisted upon for the pulp mill could come up with information that means the mill would have to be built differently or not at all, yet the go ahead has been given for construction whilst vital hydrodynamic effluent modelling studies are underway.
She said that obviously building should not be allowed to start until the enormous uncertainties around effluent dispersal and the concentrations of toxins are sorted out by the required scientific studies, because once built the pressure to be allowed to operate the pulp mill will be too great.
"We don’t expect scientific experts to also be experts at politics, but these naïve expectations underline the political nature of [federal Environment] Minister Turnbull’s conditional approval which should have instead required the evidence to come in before an approval could be contemplated", Ms Putt said.