Concepcion stakeholders hit coal plant EIA process

The Concepcion Alliance for Renewable Energy or Coalfree questioned the conduct of the site scoping for the proposed coal power plant in their municipality. Site scoping is a preparatory activity for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of an environmentally critical project in an environmentally critical area. The Office of Mayor Raul Banias facilitated the site scoping activities at the municipal session hall.

Coalfree in a statement decried that they were invited at the last minute. "We were informed of the activity only last Saturday," said Dr. Josefa Navarro of Coalfree, "the EIA preparer did not follow the guidelines on the conduct of the EIA that there should be social preparations with project stakeholders before scoping activities."

"The EIA should be conducted objectively but how can we do that when most stakeholders are not properly notified and the process not clearly discussed," Navarro added.

Scoping activities are made before the actual field invistigations by the EIA preparer to discuss with the stakeholders the issues and concerns that should be covered and define the conduct of the study. Gaia South is contracted by DM Consunji, Inc. as the EIA preparer for the proposed coal-fired power plant in Concepcion , Iloilo .

Coalfree Chairman Delbie Balasbas also questioned why the local government was facilitating the site scoping activity. "This activity is for the interest of a private enterprise that local stakeholders are opposing, why should the local government act on their behalf?"

The Responsible Ilonggos for Sustainable Energy (RISE) questioned the propriety of the local government officials endorsing the project even prior to the conduct of the EIA. The Sangguiniang Bayan of Concepcion passed a resolution interposing no objection to the proposed coal power plant. RISE was not invited to the scoping activity.