His Excellency Keod M. Smith, MP
Ambassador for the Environment
Chairman of the
Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission
Dear Mr. Smith:
On behalf of the 2,800 member Broward County Sierra Club, I wish to offer our support for your recent statement: “that now is not the time” for the Bahamas to engage in LNG facilities when so little is known regarding their impact to the environment and human health.
The Sierra Club is a US national environmental advocacy organization with 700,000 members across the US. We, here in Broward County, share a bond with you in the concerns that you raise because the proposed pipeline will make landfall in our county. We do not believe that AES has made a significant effort in choosing a route that will protect our already threatened coral reefs from their LNG pipeline. In fact, we believe they have chosen the most economically expeditious route with little concern for our local ecosystem.
Our concerns have been expressed in public comments and forums provided to us by US law under the National Environmental Policy Act. In contrast, Bahamian law does not afford its citizenry the same level of input and participation in the development of decisions with major environmental and human health consequences. It appears that the environmental impact reports on the AES LNG facility for your country has been cloaked in secrecy with no input from the people. We agree with your belief that if environmental laws are not yet in place to adequately analyze the impacts of an LNG facility – the approval process should be halted.
I might add that LNG facilities are by nature very dangerous facilities. That is why they are being built overseas. An LNG facility hasn’t been built on a US coast in years because of the potential threat of explosion by the tankers transporting the LNG and the regassification plants themselves. Unfortunately, that’s why AES and other companies choose to locate LNG facilities in countries with more undeveloped environmental laws and where public participation is limited.
We understand that great pressure wil be brought upon you to alter your position. AES and others will claim “loss of jobs”, “uncertainty over future investment in the Bahamas”, and other predictable economic arguments. The Bahamian people must ask themselves: are filthy and dangerous LNG facilities the type of economic investment they want? That is why we would like to thank you again for your courageous and common-sense position on this issue.
Sincerely,
George Cavros
Broward Sierra Club
