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Letter to the Editor of SCMP - Response to articles entitled "No way to seek views on Sokos" (January 17) and "Consultation eludes us" (January 18)
I refer to two letters headlined "No way to seek views on Sokos" by Annelise Connell, Clear the Air (January 17) and "Consultation eludes us" by Richard Fielding (January 18). There is some misconception and I wish to clarify the position for the benefit of your readers.
Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), there are well-defined requirements on public inspection of environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports and related arrangements. In this case, the applicant in respect of the proposed liquefied natural gas project has followed such requirements, and conducted three rounds of advertisements on the availability of the EIA report in an English language newspaper and a Chinese language newspaper respectively on December 27, 2006, January 6 and 16, 2007. The applicant has also made available the EIA report at the EIAO Register Office, EPD’s Environmental Resources Centres in Wan Chai, Tsuen Wan and Fanling, District Offices in Kwai Tsing, Islands, Tuen Mun, Yau Tsim Mong and Southern, and also CLP’s office at Mongkok. The EIA report is also available on the EIAO website (http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia) for public inspection. Section 7(4) of the EIAO requires the Director of Environmental Protection to notify the Advisory Council on the Environment that the EIA report is suitable for public inspection. The Advisory Council may give any comments it has on the report to the Director within 60 days of its receiving a copy of the report.
The EIAO does not give the Director of Environmental Protection any discretion to extend the period of public inspection, other than in the limited circumstances under section 7(3) of the ordinance that deals with non-compliance with requirements such as those on advertisement and public exhibition. In this case, the applicant has complied with these requirements. There is no ground for DEP to ask for an extension of the public inspection period, which ends on January 25. In parallel, the Advisory Council on the Environment will give its comments to the Director on or before February 24.
Elvis Au
Assistant Director
Environmental Protection Department
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