Environmentalists want Sabah to scrap coal plant

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
August 19, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 – A Sabah-based enviromentalist group has told the government to call off the proposed Lahad Datu coal-fired power plant after the Department of Environment (DOE) rejected the project’s detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) report.

Green SURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future) spokeman Wong Tack said that the state must take stand after DOE’s rejection of the report.

“We thank the DOE for carrying out their duty without fear or favour. Now that a federal agency has made such a decision, we hope that the state government too will take a stand.

“We should all collectively chart a new path towards clean energy that helps create jobs. Going into alternatives to coal, including renewable energy is a solution for Sabah,” he said in a press statement.

Green SURF is a coalition of five NGOs including SEPA, WWF Malaysia, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), Malaysian Nature Society and Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS).

The DOE recently rejected the DEIA for the proposed 300-megawatt coal-fried plant in Felda Sahabat because many important environmental parameters in the proposed project were not addressed in the report.

The Malaysian Insider had previously reported that an environmental impact assessment on the proposed power plant stated that its construction stands to raise surrounding sea temperature by four degrees Celcius as well as damaging the livelihoods of local fishermen.

According to documents made available to The Malaysian Insider, the power plant near Kampung Sinakut, Lahad Datu, will also result in the loss of a traditional seaweed farming area measuring 4km.

Wong added that DOE’s decision was important as the state government had rejected DEIA’s first proposed site in Silam.

“The decision by DOE speaks volumes as the State Government had in April 2008 rejected the DEIA for the first proposed site in Silam, also in Lahad Datu, on grounds that it would have negative environmental and health impacts.

“Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd’s proposal for a second site in Sandakan did not reach the DEIA level following strong objections from locals,” he said.

The 300MW plant worth more than RM1.3 billion was proposed to generate power supply to help spur development of the Palm Oil Industries Cluster (POIC) Lahad Datu.

The proposed power plant will have four power units, each having a net electrical output of 75MW, and will use the most widely-used method of burning coal to generate steam.

The documents made available to The Malaysian Insider also stated that the maximum total ash generation in the power plant is estimated at 49,000 tonnes per year.

The coal plant was initially proposed in Silam, near Lahad Datu, and Sandakan, but both were rejected by the state government following protests.

Lahad Datu is located within Tawau in eastern Sabah and occupies the peninsula on the north side of Darvel Bay. The district is also the gateway to the Danum Valley Conservation Area (160 km away), the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in the east (20km away), and Madai Caves in the south.

Source here

DOE takes landowner to court for open burning

The Pakatan Government of Selangor has done Mother Earth a good deed. Never before seen such action during the previous State Government. Congratulations and we are with you!

Read story below:

Malaysiakini
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz

Aug 8, 08 12:06pm

A downpour helped quash much of a fire that had been ranging in Dengkil, Selangor, since early this month. However, that will not save the owner of a 658-hectare piece of land from being charged in court for open burning.

Selangor executive councillor in charge of tourism, consumer affairs and environment Elizabeth Wong said the state government had ordered that the owner of the land, Pertubuhan Peladang Negeri Selangor (PPNS), be charged under Section 29(a) of the Environment Quality Act 1974.

If found guilty, PPNS directors face a fine of up to RM500,000 or five years jail, or both.

"We've given the green light to the state Department of Environment (DOE) for PPNS to be taken to court," she told reporters yesterday when met at the site where the fires have been raging since early this month. Despite the heavy rain, the surrounding trees and bush were still smoldering yesterday.

"This will send a clear message that this sort of thing cannot be done to the detriment of the environment and public health," Wong added.

Workers for PPNS allegedly started the fires to facilitate clearance works to make way for a palm oil plantation project.

When contacted, Selangor DOE director Che Asmah Ibrahim said the suit was registered at the Klang Sessions Court yesterday.

"It will take about two weeks for the court to fix a date for mention," said Che Asmah.

Danger of fires spreading

Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson Zaki Omar, meanwhile, said fires have been detected on a total of 65.97 hectares of land in seven different parts of the area since early this month.

"Up until 12 noon today (yesterday), the fires in sectors 1, 4 and 5 have been put out," said Zaki, adding that theses areas amounted to 40.47 hectares.

Despite yesterday's downpour, there remains a danger of embers in the undergrowth causing more fires that could spread north along the peat belt to as far as Batang Berjuntai, about 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.

Wong, who had earlier been briefed by the management of the Paya Indah Wetlands, which is located next to the PPNS land, said there were also concerns of the fires affecting wildlife in the wetlands.

State Department of Wildlife and National Parks Superintendent Salman Saaban said there has already been a noticeable decline in birds in the wetlands recently.

Compounding matters further is the declining amount of water flowing into the wetlands from Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, added Salman.