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Cahill Energy Transparency and Taxpayers RIGHT to Know

The following was submitted as a comment to the blog Cahill Energy: The Race to Waste Energy. BU along with other Barbadians taxpayers intend to exact our right to know by calling for transparency in all public sector transactions. We have an ineffective Auditor General, a defunct Public Accounts Committee therefore it is up to…

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Who or what is Cahill Energy? Barbadians taxpayers want to know!
Who or what is Cahill Energy? Barbadians taxpayers want to know!

The following was submitted as a comment to the blog Cahill Energy: The Race to Waste Energy. BU along with other Barbadians taxpayers intend to exact our right to know by calling for transparency in all public sector transactions. We have an ineffective Auditor General, a defunct Public Accounts Committee therefore it is up to conscientious Barbadians to use other means available to demand what it right. The irony is that this government promised a new way of governance, more transparent by proclaiming integrity and freedom of information legislation, six years later we continue to wait – David (BU)

The website for this company [Cahhill Energy] can be found by following the LINK. The website does not give confidence in that it was constructed only recently in 2013 and appears to be currently under construction. No financial information or company profile is given on the website. A search was conducted on the company using the following link to the Guernsey companies registry:

https//www.greg.gg/webCompSearchDetails.aspx?id=iqwS70SvL4U=&r=0&crn=&cn=cahill&rad=StartsWith&ck=False
It showed that Blenheim Management Services is the owner of Cahill Energy see the link below:

http://www.greg.gg/webCompSearchDetails.aspx?id=sr8ft/nf5JY=&r=0&crn=&cn=blenheim%20Management%20Services&rad=StartsWith&ck=False

Blenheim has directors:

  • Alasdair Andrew Milroy
  • Linda Theresa Le Roux

From this search I was able to down load a number of company documents being the Memorandum of Incorporation which lists Lambeth Nominees Limited as the majority shareholder or beneficial owner of Blenheim.

https://www.greg.gg/webCompSearchDetails.aspx?id=Ez5boXIz64w=&r=0&crn=&cn=Lambeth%20Nominees%20Limited&rad=StartsWith&ck=False

The Directors of this company are listed as:

• Michael Underdown
• Peter Craggs Howe
• Linda Theresa Le Roux
• Judith Mary Lovell
• John Adam Robilliard
• Martyn Paul Gordon
These names will have to be screened to check that there is no negative media such as sanctions, money laundering, fraud, embezzlement, Politically Exposed Person, Bribery and corruption claims against them.

A major red flag is that the company Cahill Energy Limited is registered in Guernsey one of the offshore jurisdictions offers little transparency. In addition the complex ownership structure should be questioned to find out why there are so many layers.

We will need to verify where the physical place of business is located and verify that there is an operation there.

Full transparency is required in a deal of this nature.

We need to know:

  1. Who the beneficial owners and ultimate beneficial owners (the people) are behind this company so that all potential conflicts of interest can be assessed and ruled out etc.
  2. We must confirm that the beneficial owners/entities involved are not sanctioned individuals and are not Politically Exposed Persons who generally have a vulnerability to bribery and corruption.
  3. Ensure that there are no criminal connections.
  4. They must be able to demonstrate that they have examined and evidenced the management experience/track record of the directors and senior management of this company.
  5. What is their record of success in this sector? Where is the evidence?
  6. Evidence of (concrete) projects that have been successfully completed
  7. Most importantly where is the $240M coming from have we gained adequate assurance and examined the documentary evidence that the source of these funds is legitimate?
  8. Are we comfortable that there is no reputational/legal risk for Barbados from the acceptance of these funds and what did we do to gain this assurance?
  9. Who are the directors? Have they been screened as well as the beneficial owners for sanctions and illicit criminal connections?
  10. Have we visited Cahill Energy’s premises in Guernsey to ensure that it is really a physical office and not just a front?

AlterNRG owns 100% of Westinghouse Plasma Corporation, a world leader in plasma gasification technology, which is expected to supply the plasma gasification technology

http://www.alternrg.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/March-17-2014-Cahill-Energy-to-Invest-240-Million-in-Barbados-Clean-Energy-Plant.pdf
http://www.westinghouse-plasma.com/executive_team/

It would be interesting to find out if AlterNRG has actually done business with Cahill Energy before and who AlterNRG is and the same for Westinghouse Plasma Corporation. 7th Heaven Properties appointed to source site for Caribbean Clean Energy Plant. Who are they who are their beneficial owners?

We need to screen them for conflicts and inappropriate connections with Cahill Energy as they both seem to endorse each other.

Does the company really have a physical presence in London?

7th Heaven properties

51 Clarendon Walk

Notting Hill

London

W11 1SN

Do see the directors of 7th Heaven Real Estate at the below who were contracted by Cahill to find a Caribbean island to invest US$300M

http://www.7thheavenproperties.com/contacts.html

124 responses to “Cahill Energy Transparency and Taxpayers RIGHT to Know”

  1. Vacant Avatar
    Vacant

    Cahill is a myth, a deliberate myth but a myth never the less.

  2. Well Well Avatar
    Well Well

    To be honest, i am trying to remember what i know about Pataki when he was governor, seems like he is also involved with Cahill, so why is his name not on the Board of Directors of Cahill Energy, seems like they have two separate and distinct entities but are some type of partners, why all the shadow companies re Cahill Energy, see AC, that’s why people must ask questions, nothing in that article says Pataki is directly involved with Cahill Energy, he has a partnership with John Cahill, Pataki/Cahill, completely different ballgame.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    If the government has refused to produce the Sandals MOU don’t hold your breath for Cahill’s

  4. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    ac

    If you are you suggesting there is a connection between The Pataki-Cahill Group of New York and Guernsey based Cahill Energy; please give us the details.

    And, rather than posting a link to a 5 year old article, it might be better to post the website for The Pataki-Cahill Group (http://www.patakicahillgroup.com).

    Don’t see any mention of Cahill Energy in the PCG website.

  5. Caswell Franklyn Avatar
    Caswell Franklyn

    This Government came to office promising transparency but quickly learnt that you can’t steal and be transparent at the same time. They had an option steal or transparency: they chose not to be transparent.

    >

  6. ac Avatar
    ac

    why not ask the opposition to do diligence,,,after all YOU the followers want to know,,,,, at this point i have said more than enuff my hands are folded……

  7. Everybody hates Ac the Yardfowl Avatar
    Everybody hates Ac the Yardfowl

    Editor’s note: Marybeth Holleman is the author of “The Heart of the Sound,” a part-memoir, part exploration of the Prince William Sound and the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill. She is co-author of “Among Wolves,” and co-editor of Crosscurrents North. The CNN documentary “Oil and Water: The Exxon Valdez Wreck” airs Tuesday, March 25, at 10 p.m. ET.

    (CNN) — Twenty-five years ago on March 24, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez slammed into Bligh Reef and spilled more than 11 million gallons of crude oil into the cold, clear waters of Alaska’s Prince William Sound — one of the “last best places” on Earth. The oil charged through Prince William Sound and out into the Gulf of Alaska, damaging more than 1,300 miles of some of the most remote, wild shoreline in this country.

    This happened 25 years ago, so we might note the anniversary as we do any other historical event. That, however, would imply that the oil spill is over. It’s not, and likely never will be.

    The sound’s coastal ecosystem is permanently damaged. Thousands of gallons of Exxon Valdez oil still pollute the beaches; this oil is still toxic and still hurting the ecosystem near the shore.

    The government considers, as of 2010, only 13 of the 32 monitored wildlife populations, habitats and resource services that were injured in the spill as fully “recovered” or “very likely recovered.” Some are still listed today as “not recovering.” This includes a pod of orcas, which lost 15 of its 22 members after the spill, and has not produced a calf since. Given only one older female is left, scientists appear certain that this unique pod of orcas will go extinct — it’s just a matter of time. The government conclusion is that “there appears to be no hope for recovery.”

    The “not recovering” list also includes Pacific herring, one of the sound’s keystone species. Once the source of a vibrant commercial fishery, herring declined so precipitously that a fishery closed, and has not reopened.

    Eight inches long, herring once swam in schools of a million or more, a sudden flash of their silver undersides confusing predators. In April, their spawning turned the bays and lagoons milky white. More than 40 species — bald eagles, brown bears, seals, humpback whales, tufted puffins, murres — depend on these small fish.

    Exxon Valdez oil spill harmed wildlife

    Those of us who knew the sound before the spill, the “bright and spacious wonderland” described a century ago by John Muir’s expedition, and who spend time in the magnificent coastal wilderness that remains, chafe at the idea of passing this 25th anniversary off as merely a historical event, of simply noting the date and then returning to business as usual.

    Persistent oil poisoning, and a cascade of ecological effects, continue. There’s not much we can do now for Prince William Sound, short of protecting it from more harm. But we can keep from repeating our mistakes elsewhere. This is, after all, why we pay attention to history.

    Unfortunately, we still haven’t learned the biggest lesson of all from the Exxon Valdez oil spill: The only real solution is to stop using so much oil.

    Whether it’s Prince William Sound or the Gulf of Mexico, seldom is more than 10% of the spilled oil recovered. This will be especially true in Arctic waters. And regardless of how safe we make oil drilling, tankers, or pipelines, we’ll never reduce spill risk to zero.

    But the larger reason to reduce our dependence on oil is this: Even if we as a society don’t care about oil spills destroying natural environments, we’ve got to care — eventually we will all care — about how burning this oil is destroying our environment through climate change.

    Once the source of a vibrant commercial fishery, herring declined so precipitously that a fishery closed, and has not reopened.
    As the south coast of Alaska struggles to recover from one spill a quarter of a century later, Alaska’s polar bears are drowning from lack of Arctic sea ice.

    It’s a sad irony that the push for Arctic oil drilling has reached an all-time high. Right now, as the polar bears’ ice shrinks, we are trying at a fever pitch to pull the very substance out of their ocean home that, when burned, will destroy their ocean home. No wonder one of OPEC’s founders, Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso, once called oil “el excremento del diablo,” or the devil’s excrement.

    The best use of this anniversary is to do better, both by ourselves and the rest of the animal world with whom we share our planet. Halting oil drilling in the Arctic would be a clear first step toward doing better. It’s time for President Obama to take steps away from the “all of the above” energy policy and move us forward on a path to a clean energy future.

    http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/23/opinion/holleman-exxon-valdez-anniversary/index.html?hpt=hp_t5

  8. Concerned Citizen Avatar
    Concerned Citizen

    @ AC, Chris Sinckler, Denis Lowe the preacher and the sleeping Freundel Stuart need to tell the country why the cost differential. We must find a way to hold them accountable when they leave office in 2018.

  9. Concerned Citizen Avatar
    Concerned Citizen

    Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence.

    Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, and embezzlement. Corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and human trafficking, though is not restricted to these activities. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government.

    The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. For instance, some political funding practices that are legal in one place may be illegal in another. In some cases, government officials have broad or ill-defined powers, which make it difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.[1] A state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning “rule by thieves”.

    Some forms of corruption – now called “institutional corruption”[2] – are distinguished from bribery and other kinds of obvious personal gain. Campaign contributions are the prime example. Even when they are legal, and do not constitute a quid pro quo, they have a tendency to bias the process in favor of special interests and undermine public confidence in the political institution. They corrupt the institution without individual members being corrupt themselves. A similar problem of corruption arises in any institution that depends on financial support from people who have interests that may conflict with the primary purpose of the institution.

  10. Concerned Citizen Avatar
    Concerned Citizen

    When the son of the president of a desperately poor country starts buying mansions and sportscars on an official monthly salary of $7,000, Charmian Gooch suggests, corruption is probably somewhere in the picture. In a blistering, eye-opening talk (and through several specific examples), she details how global corruption trackers follow the money — to some surprisingly familiar faces.

  11. Concerned Citizen Avatar
    Concerned Citizen

    Dear AC,Corruption manifests itself in many ways, some subtler than others. From anonymous companies to bribes to unjust electoral systems, these talks take you deep into ethically murky territory … and offer bold ideas on what we can do about it.

    Hope this message causes you think about your family.

    Your School Mate

  12. Concerned Citizen Avatar
    Concerned Citizen

    Some of the world’s most baffling social problems, says Peter Eigen, can be traced to systematic, pervasive government corruption, hand-in-glove with global companies. In his talk, Eigen describes the thrilling counter-attack led by his organization Transparency International. http://www.ted.com/playlists/148/depths_of_corruption

  13. Town Planner Avatar
    Town Planner

    Here are examples of how WorldCompliance solutions have helped our clients:
    •When screening the directors of a company that applied for a loan to finance an infrastructure project in a developing country, our client discovered that one of the directors was wanted by Interpol for embezzlement and fraud
    •When screening a walk-in customer who desired to deposit 5 million USD, a client in Belize discovered that the walk-in’s husband was being investigated by the U.S. SEC for defrauding people of more than 8,000,000 USD.
    •When a U.S.-based bank found a suspicious transaction linked to an escort service, the investigation revealed that the individual involved was a prominent PEP (Politically Exposed Person) who was married with two children. The bank filed a SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) regarding the unusual financial activity.

    http://www.worldcompliance.com/en/worldcompliance/world-compliance-solutions.aspx?gclid=COWW8fi2sb0CFeMSOgodbVMAiQ

  14. Auditor Avatar
    Auditor

    U.S. and Brazilian investigators collaborate on probe of Embraer alleged bribe paying.

    By Brad Haynes and Aruna Viswanatha

    SAO PAULO/WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – U.S. and Brazilian authorities are investigating whether Embraer SA bribed officials in Argentina and the Dominican Republic to secure deals for commercial and defense aircraft, according to legal documents reviewed by Reuters.

    The investigations involve the sale of 20 passenger jets to an Argentine state airline, worth about $900 million at Embraer list prices, and a $92 million deal with the Dominican armed forces for eight Super Tucano light attack planes, according to documents prepared by prosecutors.

    The world’s third-largest commercial plane maker disclosed two years ago that it had been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission since 2010 regarding sales of aircraft abroad.

    The allegations cast a harsh light on one of Brazil’s biggest exporters and a cornerstone of its growing defense industry, which is looking to build credibility with major powers after years of dealing arms in emerging markets.

    Embraer’s defense division has partnered with Boeing Co to sell an upcoming military cargo jet, its biggest plane ever, against Lockheed Martin Corp’s Hercules airlifter in the United States and Britain.

    In documents reviewed by Reuters, prosecutors cited evidence that Embraer executives approved a $3.4 million bribe to a Dominican official with influence in military procurement. Details of the Dominican Republic case were first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday.

    Embraer is cooperating fully with authorities, the company said in a statement, but it declined to comment on details of allegations because of the confidentiality of the investigation.

    “The company requires that all its employees have a conduct of strict compliance with laws and regulations,” said a spokesman in an emailed statement on Saturday.

    Officials at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Brazilian federal prosecutors, Dominican defense officials and representatives for Argentina’s state airline could not immediately be reached for comment.

    International cooperation on the investigation reflects a rare instance of Brazilian authorities probing a local company for its foreign business practices.

    Brazil has criminal laws against bribing foreign officials, but no direct equivalent of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which gives U.S. authorities grounds to investigate U.S.-listed companies for bribery overseas. Embraer shares called American Depositary Receipts trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

    RETIRED COLONEL

    In 2008, as Embraer was trying to sell its Super Tucanos to the Dominican Republic, investigators say the company was approached by the director of special projects for the country’s armed forces, now-retired Colonel Carlos Piccini.

    Piccini sought a payment of $3.4 million to facilitate the sale, which Embraer delivered in 2009 through a shell company in Uruguay, according to investigators. Attempts to reach Piccini through the Dominican armed forces were not successful.

    Embraer delivered the first two of eight Super Tucano aircraft to the Dominican Republic in December 2009 to be used to combat drug trafficking and run border patrol missions.

    The Super Tucano is Embraer’s top-selling military plane. A rugged design and low cost make the turboprop popular in counterinsurgency missions from Africa to Southeast Asia. In February, the U.S. Air Force ordered 20 Super Tucanos for missions in Afghanistan.

    In documents reviewed by Reuters, officials also cite a corruption investigation raising red flags about dealings between Embraer and an unnamed Argentine public official involved in an airline deal.

    The official helped negotiate a contract for 20 commercial jets for Austral Lineas Aereas Cielos del Sur between 2008 and 2009, investigators said, without elaborating in the documents on evidence of wrongdoing.

    In May 2009, Embraer announced an agreement to supply Austral, a subsidiary of state airline Aerolineas Argentinas, with 20 of its E-190 jets seating 96 passengers. Delivery of the planes started in September 2010.

    Austral ordered two more E-190s in April this year. Embraer and Austral did not respond to questions about the contracts.

    Embraer has notified investors of the ongoing legal probe through its quarterly earnings reports. The company has said it voluntarily expanded the scope of its internal investigation following a 2010 subpoena to include sales in other countries, which it has reported to U.S. authorities.

    Embraer could face substantial fines or sanctions due to the investigation, the company said in its earnings report this week, but based on outside legal counsel the plane maker said there was no basis to estimate how much money to set aside.

    http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/11/02/embraer-probe-idINL1N0IN0F320131102

  15. ac Avatar
    ac

    Everybody hates Ac the Yardfowl | March 26, 2014 at 7:36 PM |

    ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..ll look uh dat AC gave( you )ac the yardfowl a thumbs up vote…….

  16. Well Well Avatar
    Well Well

    AC…..please communicate to the DLP leadership that the internet has become more powerful than the Atom Bomb, since it’s inception.

  17. ganhar curtidas no instagram Avatar
    ganhar curtidas no instagram

    excelente post !!

  18. get likes on instagram Avatar
    get likes on instagram

    Muito bom o post vou sempre visitar seu blog !!

  19. robert ross Avatar
    robert ross

    It is now clear that H Austin has no intention of checking out the Notting Hill address. It is therefore impossible to avoid the conclusion that he is a mere poseur who really doesn’t want to get his hands dirty for any cause however laudable but that, rather, he prefers the safety of the City from whence he can pretend to be a man and woefully attempt to impress those he believes will give him the time of day. Well, they might. I won’t.

  20. ac Avatar
    ac

    i don.t believe that ross is asking hal to be an investigative reporter,,, when all mia had to do was press Sinckler for all the necessary information YOU and other BLP yardfowls want to know,,,,, so far no smoking gun ,,just smoke,,,

  21. robert ross Avatar
    robert ross

    ac

    and no smoke without…..?

  22. are-we-there-yet? Avatar
    are-we-there-yet?

    Prodigal Son , Enuff

    The Cahill WTE matter was brought to the attention of the people by Mia Mottley.

    Her exposing of the possibility of infelicities led to quite violent (verbally) attacks from the Government’s spokespersons in the house and from ac here on BU. Mia now appears to have gone silent on this matter.

    In the meantime the researchers on BU have uncovered a number of clues about Cahill Energy that suggest that there are possibly major problems with the project in the offing and that the Cahill gambit might well be the most damaging to the country, Government and DLP of all this Government’s initiatives so far.

    Do you know why Mia has apparently gone quiet?
    Has anything transpired to suggest that Cahill energy is above board?
    Is it likely that the Government, because of Mia and BU due diligence, might be quietly trying to extract themselves from the declared project implementers at this stage?

  23. ac Avatar
    ac

    if mia had any political commonsense. or finesse ..instead of trying to wrestle cahill energy to the ground she would have come to parliament fully armed with document supportive enough to give to the public which has viable and less expensive alternative than that the of WTE plant which the DLP has proposed,,,,,,no wonder she has gone quiet,, mottleyismm to boot from clico to wte,,,,,,,,she always find a way to make waves and then retreats

  24. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ a-w-t-y
    Why has Mia gone quiet….?
    Perhaps she realizes that squeaky wheels get oiled – and that if she start keeping noise about infelicities, it may inspire BU researchers like Mr Dilligence and Clone to dig into VECO and Four Seasons….

    Which is why we NEED a fresh start with party individuals if politics is to EVER regain respect in Bim….

  25. Participate Barbados Avatar
    Participate Barbados

    This fight is far from over. http://www.transparency.org/topic/detail/public_procurement

  26. UK Compliance Officer Avatar
    UK Compliance Officer

    Cahill is not above board and those who took money to secretly fast track that project in Barbados must be exposed. What’s the purpose of the Financial Intelligence Unit and CID in Barbados?

  27. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ UK CO
    What’s the purpose of the Financial Intelligence Unit and CID in Barbados?
    +++++++++++
    …same as that of most other institutions here….
    – To fool international bodies that we are above board
    – Jobs for the boys (and girls)
    – politicians having their people in position to cover their tails.

    You can always tell when the position is a critical one – that we want to take seriously…..we hire a foreigner…..
    …which is where Bushie’s brass bowl theory comes in….. 🙂

  28. UK Compliance Officer Avatar
    UK Compliance Officer

    You are so right as Leroy Parris and his lawyer cohorts still walking around free men while persons dying as paupers. I am afraid that whenever Bajans decided enough is enough our progress will be retarded to pre indepence days.

    http://youtu.be/CUPBxe3xwbU

  29. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    UK Compliance Officer | March 30, 2014 at 11:23 PM |

    Cahill is not above board

    Please expand on “not above board”

    Claire Cowan profile at

    http://www.zoominfo.com/s/#!search/profile/person?personId=1900216344&targetid=profile

    says

    “Cahill Energy has been created to build, own and operate utility-scale plasma gasification plants in key waste management to energy generation markets. The Company, and its CEO, Clare Cowan, have brought together world class talent to fill senior management, board and advisory positions that commands both domain and managerial expertise and brings the high level governmental and global capital markets access required to expand its reputation as a leader and first market mover in providing specialized and professional project management and oversight services. Cahill will manage each of the plasma gasification plants it intends to build as individual subsidiaries. Cahill has demonstrated that it is able to compete with larger, well established, players supplying incineration solutions, the competitor technology, in an extremely competitive and capital intensive industry.”

    Is there any truth to these claims?

  30. UK Compliance Officer Avatar
    UK Compliance Officer

    Government health advice has been issued amid warnings pollution spreading across England will again hit high levels later.
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26844425

  31. Disgruntled Government Employee Avatar
    Disgruntled Government Employee

    I have seen a cabinet document dated 2013 which clearly states that the WTE was to cost $377,623,000.

    The document signed by PS Edison Alleyne speaks to this plant meeting European Union emission standards which together with dioxin testing and enhanced odor controls would provide a facility that minimizes health impact.

    How come Cahill was not among the 4 shortlisted companies below yet is being given the contract. China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd, Plasco Energy Group/ SNC Lavalin International Inc, Complant, AE & E/Williams Industries.

  32. Doc M Avatar
    Doc M

    Crude oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster causes severe defects in the developing hearts of bluefin and yellowfin tunas, according to a new study by a team of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and academic scientists.

    The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, show how the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history may have affected tunas and other species that spawned in oiled offshore habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

    Oil near the Deepwater Horizon disaster spill source as seen during an aerial overflight on May 20, 2010. Photo credit: NOAA
    Atlantic bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and other large predatory fish spawn in the northern Gulf during the spring and summer months, a time that coincided with the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010. These fish produce buoyant embryos that float near the ocean surface, potentially in harm’s way as crude oil from the damaged wellhead rose from the seafloor to form large surface slicks.

    The new study shows that crude oil exposures adversely affect heart development in the two species of tuna and an amberjack species by slowing the heartbeat or causing an uncoordinated rhythm, which can ultimately lead to heart failure.

    “We know from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound that recently spawned fish are especially vulnerable to crude oil toxicity,” said Nat Scholz, Ph.D., leader of the ecotoxicology program at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. “That spill taught us to pay close attention to the formation and function of the heart.”

    “The timing and location of the spill raised immediate concerns for bluefin tuna,” said Barbara Block, Ph.D., a study coauthor and professor of biology at Stanford University. “This spill occurred in prime bluefin spawning habitats, and the new evidence indicates a compromising effect of oil on the physiology and morphology of bluefin embryos and larvae.”

    Recent studies are increasingly painting a more detailed picture of how oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) act on the heart. Earlier this year, the Stanford-NOAA team showed in a related paper published in Science (Brette et al. 343: 772) that Deepwater Horizon crude oil samples block excitation-contraction coupling—vital processes for normal beat-to-beat contraction and pacing of the heart—in individual heart muscle cells isolated from juvenile bluefin and yellowfin tuna.

    Image shows a normal yellowfin tuna larva not long after hatching (top), and a larva exposed to Deepwater Horizon crude oil during embryonic development (bottom). The oil-exposed larva shows a suite of morphological abnormalities including fluid accumulation from heart failure and poor growth of fins and eyes. Image courtesy of John Incardona/ NOAA
    “We now have a better understanding why crude oil is toxic, and it doesn’t bode well for bluefin or yellowfin embryos floating in oiled habitats.” said Block. “At the level of a single heart muscle cell, we’ve found that petroleum acts like a pharmacological drug by blocking key processes that are critical for cardiac cell excitability.”

    This mechanism explains why the team observed a range of cardiac effects in the developing hearts of intact embryos in the present study. “We directly monitored the beating hearts of living fish embryos exposed to crude oil,” said Dr. John Incardona, NOAA research toxicologist and the study’s lead author. “The tiny offspring of tunas and other Gulf species are translucent, and we can use digital microscopy to watch the heart develop.”

    The major difficulty facing the researchers was access to live animals. Tunas are difficult to raise in captivity and few facilities exist worldwide with spawning fish. In the open ocean, fragile fish embryos and larvae are mixed with many other types of plankton, and they usually don’t survive the rough conditions in a net towed near the surface. This made it close to impossible to assess developmental cardiotoxicity in samples collected near the Deepwater Horizon surface oil slicks.

    To work around this challenge, the international team brought the oil to the fish. Samples of crude oil were collected from the damaged riser pipe and surface skimmers. The samples were then transported to the only land-based hatcheries in the world capable of spawning tunas in captivity.

    This approach allowed the scientists to design environmentally relevant crude oil exposures for bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna at marine research facilities in Australia and Panama, respectively. Luke Gardner, an Australian native post-doctoral associate from Stanford University and co-author on the PNAS paper, was vital in helping the team investigate the bluefin.

    “It is challenging to maintain bluefin in culture and we were privileged to have successfully tested the crude oil in Australian facilities, the only on-land hatchery that has bluefin tuna in culture. This gave us access to tuna embryos and allowed us to study the developmental toxicity of oil,” said Gardner. The pioneering effort to develop new testing methods was also led by Martin Grosell, Ph.D., at the University of Miami.

    The new research adds to a growing list of fish that are affected by crude oil. “This fits the pattern,” said Incardona. “The tunas and the amberjack exposed to Deepwater Horizon crude oil were impacted in much the same way that herring were deformed by the Alaska North Slope crude oil spilled in Prince William Sound during the Exxon Valdez accident.”

    Crude oil is a complex mixture of chemicals, some of which are known to be toxic to marine animals. Past research has focused in particular on PAHs, which can also be found in coal tar, creosote, air pollution and stormwater runoff from land. In the aftermath of an oil spill, PAHs can persist for many years in marine habitats and cause a variety of adverse environmental effects.

    Developmental abnormalities were evident in bluefin and yellowfin tunas at very low concentrations, in the range of approximately one to 15 parts per billion total PAHs. These levels are below the measured PAH concentrations in many samples collected from the upper water column of the northern Gulf during the active Deepwater Horizon spill phase.

    Yellowfin tuna in a tank at the Achotines Laboratory in Panama. Image courtesy of John Incardona/ NOAA
    Severely affected fish with heart failure and deformed jaws are likely to have died soon after hatching. However, the NOAA team has shown in previous work that fish surviving transient crude oil exposures with only mild effects on the still-forming heart have permanent changes in heart shape that reduce swimming performance later in life.

    “This creates a potential for delayed mortality,” said Incardona. “Swimming is everything for these species.”

    The nature of the injury was very similar for all three pelagic predators, and similar also to the response of other marine fish previously exposed to crude oil from other geologic sources. Given this consistency, the authors suggest there may have been cardiac-related impacts on swordfish, marlin, mackerel and other Gulf species. “If they spawned in proximity to oil, we’d expect these types of effects,” said Incardona.

    The research was funded by NOAA as part of the on-going Natural Resource Damage Assessment for the Gulf ecosystem following the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Contributing to the findings in addition to NOAA and Stanford University were researchers from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

    http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/25/bp-gulf-oil-disaster-widespread-deformities-fish/

  33. are-we-there-yet? Avatar
    are-we-there-yet?

    Disgruntled, sounds very authentic!
    It will all come out in the wash. Treating public servants like dirt will result in other disgruntled public servants going public anonymously.

    Was it really necessary for Monday to have been the day of the long knives? Even some employees of the Public service ministry were reportedly stabbed in the back.

    By the way, why are the PS’s and those other top dogs who should be the faces of the dismissals getting lowly public servants to sign to and do their dirty work?

    When some relatively low level.operative who has nothing to do with policy gets a serious backlash from a disgruntled former public servant the motive might not be too hard to find.

    Cowardice, in addition to ineptness, is now the order of the day!

  34. David Avatar
    David

    @Are-we-there-yet

    Isn’t there a protocol which directs who can sign etc?

  35. Prodigal Son Avatar
    Prodigal Son

    @are-we-there-yet? | March 29, 2014 at 8:18 PM |

    The Cahill WTE matter was brought to the attention of the people by Mia Mottley.
    Her exposing of the possibility of infelicities led to quite violent (verbally) attacks from the Government’s spokespersons in the house and from ac here on BU. Mia now appears to have gone silent on this matter…………..

    Do you know why Mia has apparently gone quiet?
    Has anything transpired to suggest that Cahill energy is above board?
    Is it likely that the Government, because of Mia and BU due diligence, might be quietly trying to extract themselves from the declared project implementers at this stage?………………………………….

    are-we-there-yet,
    I dont know why Mia has gone silent on this. Poor soul, she has had to endure relentless lashes recently. The wild boys and gal abused her under the cloak of parliamentary privilege.

    Just last week Alex McDonald while addressing the Chamber said that business people are afraid to speak out because they are afraid of the abuse and victimisation. No sooner had he said that that the magguffy Inniss called McDonald and told him off.

    That was exactly the point that McDonald was making. You speak out and you get attacked by this government and its supporters……. kinda what they are doing to me here on BU.

    The post from the “disgruntled public servant” is very informative. It now confirms what I was hearing that Bizzy was very angry at this award to Cahill. He confirms that Bizzy did tender for this project.

    And to think that Bizzy saved their sorry tails by delivering Butch Stewart to them!

    Mia must be tired of the abuse!

  36. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    Wuh if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and leaves a lotta smelly stuff all around the places it has been…… Wunna waiting for it to affirm its “duckness”……?
    Shiite man!
    OBVIOUSLY Cahill was created as a front to channel easy money from the treasury into secret accounts……as has become the norm..

    COMMONSENSE would tell you that ANY kind of transparent and HONEST project to build such a state-of-the-art plant would be an ESTABLISHED, RECOGNIZABLE, KNOWN entity with some kind of positive track record.

    Cahill shiite!! …..only in Barbados….

  37. Due Diligence Avatar
    Due Diligence

    are-we-there-yet? | April 2, 2014 at 9:15 AM |

    “Disgruntled, sounds very authentic!”

    Indeed

    DD did not recognize most of the names in the short list, so did a bit of Googling. Here is some interest finds.

    China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (China Construction) is China’s largest construction and real estate conglomerate and biggest building work contractor. It is the largest transnational construction company in the developing countries including in Barbados.

    China National Complete Plant Import Export Corporation (Complant) is a Chinese company mainly involved in contracting and engineering in the domestic market and several international markets.

    ANDRITZ Energy & Environment GmbH (AE&E) designs, manufactures, installs, and services steam generators (bubbling and circulating fluidized bed boilers) and air pollution control systems (flue gas cleaning systems). The company has more than 150 years’ experience and the highest levels of technological competence.

    Plasco Energy Group/ SNC Lavalin International Inc.
    Plasco Energy Group builds, owns, and operates proprietary, world-leading technology that converts municipal solid waste into green power and other valuable products. Plasco has more than thirty years of experience with plasma technologies and has received funding from Government agencies, including Sustainable Development Technology Canada. Plasco is the green alternative to municipal waste management providing a socially acceptable and environmentally superior solution.

    SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC) is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure, and in the provision of operations and maintenance services. SNC-Lavalin has offices across Canada and in over 35 other countries around the world, and is currently working in some 100 countries.

    So, the two China companies would appear to have the capability to build, finance and operate the WTE plant.

    AE&E has more than 150 years’ experience and the highest levels of technological competence.

    The Plasco Energy Group/ SNC Lavalin International Inc. have the a proven record in WTE/contracting to build the plant.

    But, Cahill Energy appears to be a Guernsey-based shell company incorporated in 2011, with no track record and an incomplete website

    It is difficult to understand why GOB signed an agreement with Cahill Energy to build, finance and operate a utility-scale Waste to Energy plant “to utilise the most innovative technology available to transform all kinds of waste on Barbados into clean, renewable energy”.

    As an aside, given recent media reports concerning alleged kickbacks and political donations by SNC officers, it is likely that SNC has discontinued these activities – for the time being at least.

    See:
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/snc-lavalin-bridge-contract-linked-to-1-5m-in-suspected-kickbacks-1.2534234
    Radio-Canada’s investigative program Enquête has uncovered a money trail suggesting that almost $1.5 million in suspected kickbacks ended up in Swiss bank accounts of a former Federal Bridge Corporation boss, shortly after SNC-Lavalin was awarded a $127-million contract in 2000 to refurbish Montreal’s Jacques Cartier Bridge.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/snc-lavalin-agrees-to-10-year-ban-from-world-bank-projects-1.1316719
    SNC-Lavalin is embroiled in an ongoing scandal surrounding improper payments the company may have made to secure construction contracts in North African nations including Libya under Moammar Gadhafi.
    Last fall the company’s former CEO, Pierre Duhaime, was arrested and charged with fraud in connection with the contract to build the McGill University superhospital in Montreal.
    And just last month, a top executive with the company admitted to dubious political donations while testifying at the Charbonneau commission, which is looking into corruption in Quebec’s construction industry.
    “The company’s decision to settle signals our determination as we go forward to set standards for ethics in business conduct and for good governance that are beyond reproach,” SNC-Lavalin CEO Robert G. Card said. “The company has already taken, and will continue to take, measures to ensure rigorous compliance and control procedures are in place.”

    DD hopes that GOB has established standards for ethics in business conduct and for good governance that are beyond reproach, and has taken measures to ensure rigorous compliance and control procedures are in place.”

  38. are-we-there-yet? Avatar
    are-we-there-yet?

    David; Re. senior technical staff delivering documents associated with laying off of staff in their departments. I’ve been told by a former colleague of mine that such duties, which would normally and formerly have been the sole responsibility of the personnel Department, somehow now seems to have been placed on even technical departmental heads (who really should know better). Perhaps Caswell or some other disgruntled public servant will know a lot more about this and can confirm or put this matter to rest.

    Due Diligence, re. the earlier post by “Disgruntled Government Employee”, it seems that at least your work is corroborating the existence of the Firms mentioned and strengthening the case of likely infelicities in the matter.

    Has anyone given thought to the fact that this Cahill thing bears the seeds of serious discomfort for this Government and even eventually perhaps our Island in it, and that special extraordinary Cabinet meetings, incredible claims by the GoCB and likely further downgrades by S&P and the deleterious consequences therefrom, might be in the mix of possible indicators of serious things coming our way?

  39. Concerned listener of Brasstackc Avatar
    Concerned listener of Brasstackc

    Cahill one page website under construction? The company Alter NRG is so young that it’s share prices increase on the announcement of the deal! Which technocrat or evaluation committee preferred Cahill Engineering? It has no track record!! Who is putting up the money? What liabilities will the GoB be asked to assume?

    Plasma arc? Are you kidding me? Do we know the maintenance record of these plants, include pre-processing? Have any similar plants been operating for 5 years? A 30 year contract? Who negotiated on behalf of the GOB?

    Up to 25% of electricity demand? That’s around 30MW minimum. From 650 tonnes/day? Seems a bit optimistic. Has a PPA been agreed with BL&P?

    is there a “tipping fee”? Does Cahill expect to be paid to receive the waste? What happens to the SBRC contract? Who does the pre-processing?
    What happens to the slag? Note Chinook process does not produce a slag and it’s much lower operating temperature (than plasma arc)
    should improve the operating life of the equipment. EIA?
    Financial analysis? Effect on electricity prices over the 30 years?

    No involvement of the SSA. No review of contract by experts on behalf of the Government. Just 3 ministers doing their own thing. No planning approval. No EIA and no power purchase agreement in place with Bl&P. this stinks to high heaven and will affect the energy and waste sectors for the next 3 decades.

    Somebody want locking up!

  40. Concerned listener of Brasstackc Avatar
    Concerned listener of Brasstackc

    Spoke to someone close to the Future Centre Trust today after hearing Kammie Holder on Brasstacks today and heard they are seeking the support of international big guns such as Transparency International and Global Witness. Sad that a local NGO has to go that far to get info. Thus it’s hoped that in the best interest of Barbados that the DLP reach out to the Future Centre Trust soon and save face.

  41. Disgruntled Government Employee Avatar
    Disgruntled Government Employee

    Today the persons in the office could not help but laugh to hear the guy from the Future Centre Trust on Brasstacks pleading with the government for dialogue. I am frustrated with the union, government and the way things are done but will not do anything to cause me to lose my government pension and gratuity.

    Lionel Weekes was the best PS but the Prime Minister acceded to the request of Rev Denis Lowe to move Mr Weekes and Gail Gilkes for a yes man call Mr Edison Alleyne who if you gave him shit for pudding could not tell the difference.

    Doing my secret checks I Can confirm what Concern Listener Of Brasstacks is saying. No EIA has been done nor EPD consulted.

  42. Bajan Yankee Avatar
    Bajan Yankee

    Since WW II attempts to gasify municipal solid waste (MSW) have failed repeatedly.
    Processing trash with high heat is
    (1) polluting;
    (2) expensive;
    (3) energy inefficient;
    (4) destroys resources that could be reused, recycled, or composted; and (5) generates slag and other “by-products” that have to be landfilled.

    Gasification is a polluting technology
    Gasification pollutants—and the record of unsafe emissions—are similar to those of “traditional” massburn incineration.
    Some examples:
    • Scotland’s Dumfries plant, commissioned to gasify more than 20,000 tons, produced 200 breaches of emissions limits, two of which involved dioxins, and also had 100 “short-term”exceedances. It was shut down in April 2011 and is now operating on a restricted basis.

    2• In the UK a waste gasification plant on the Isle of Wight was shut down in 2010 because it failed dioxin emissions tests. “Thankfully the public health effects are thought to be minimal.

    ”3• Plasco Energy’s gasification pilot in Ottawa had 29 “emissions incidents,” plus 13 “spills,” in their 3-year history (2009-11), during which they were able to operate only 25% of the time;

    and a pilot pyrolysis plant in Romoland, CA emitted significantly greater concentrations of dioxins,
    NOx, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter (PM10) than the two aging massburn incinerators in the Los Angeles area.
    Garbage gasification attempts are characterized by economic and operational failures
    No commercial facilities in the US have succeeded in using gasification, plasma, or pyrolysis to generate energy from MSW. Pilots and plants worldwide have been plagued with problems.

    Examples:
    • MA: Ze-Gen’s pilot project in New Bedford opened in 2007 with the publicized goal of gasifying MSW for electricity. Ze-Gen abandoned that goal after multiple operational problems, and shifted to gasifying specific, homogeneous waste streams such as rubber, plastics, railroad ties
    and wood pellets for fuel.6 In 2009 their CEO characterized gasification of MSW as “folly.

    ”7 UK: Compact Power shut down in 2008, finding costs too high and calorific (energy) value too
    low;

    8 Germany: Swartz Pumpe stopped taking waste in 2007;

    9 Germany: Karlsruhe, the Thermoselect plant (dubbed in the press as “Thermodefect”) was only able to burn half the contractually agreed upon garbage, and ceased operations in 2004 due to multiple operational
    problems;

    10 WA: Allied Technology Group (ATG) attempted waste gasification using InEnTec technology that failed to perform, and declared bankruptcy in 2001.

    11 Gasification undercuts goal of meeting energy needs with renewables
    Gasification produces little energy, and garbage is not a renewable resource—most of it is either made of
    non-renewable resources or produced with large expenditures of fossil fuel.
    • The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that 80% of MSW is non-renewable.

    12 Gasification captures even less energy than mass-burn incineration with energy recovery—less
    than 1/5th of the calories (energy units) in garbage.

    13 Facts Rule Out Trash Gasification Including pyrolysis, plasma arc, and other variations of staged incineration.

    Gasification utilizes recyclables and industrial waste.

    Records from gasification plants and pilots overseas and in North America indicate that industrial waste,plastics, or other materials are added to MSW to make fuel or electricity.

    There is not enough high-carbon material in MSW to gasify for energy or fuel, especially if all paper, cardboard and plastic have been removed for recycling.

    14 Europe is turning away from incineration because it competes with recycling for these
    materials.

    15 Incineration already competes with recycling in MA.

    16 Developing disposal facilities uses public money
    Whether or not facilities get built, both state and local funds are spent for their development. All waste disposal facilities entail the costs of regulation, monitoring, and sometimes clean up.

    By 2010 Taunton, MA reportedly had spent at least 5 million dollars on land, consultants, and lawyers to develop a gasification plant that three years later has not been designed or built.

    17 If garbage gasification plants are allowed in MA, MassDEP will have to develop regulations for facility performance; organize and hold public hearings and respond to comments; review proposals and draft permits; hire consultants; and monitor facilities for compliance, including waste ban compliance. Resources would be better spent on waste reduction and recycling programs.

    http://cleanwater.org/files/Gasification%20fact%20sheet%20Jan%202013-final.pdf

  43. Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Avatar
    Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)

    GAIA is a worldwide alliance of non-profit organizations and individuals who recognize that our
    planet’s finite resources, fragile biosphere and the health of people and other living beings are
    endangered by polluting and inefficient production practices and health-threatening disposal methods.

    We oppose incinerators, landfills, and other end-of-pipe interventions.

    Our ultimate vision is a just, toxic-free world without incineration. Our goal is the implementation of
    clean production, and the creation of a closed-loop, materials-efficient economy where all products are
    reused, repaired or recycled back into the marketplace or nature.

  44. I aint no nigger Avatar
    I aint no nigger

    As part of its Clean Energy Act, BC does not allow coal-fired power generation. Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver is pursuing a $480 million plan for waste-to-energy incinerating garbage, which a U.S. study written in 2011 says will be at least as bad as coal-fired power plants in terms of the economic value compared to the environmental damage incurred.

    “Seven industries have air pollution damages that are clearly larger than their VA (value-added),” the “Environmental Accounting for Pollution in the United States Economy” report says. Published in the respected American Economic Review, the report goes on to say that these seven are solid waste combustion, petroleum-fired electric power generation, sewage treatment, coal-fired electric power generation, stone mining and quarrying, marinas, and petroleum and coal products.

    The paper, published in 2011, scrutinizes emissions from polluting industries in the United States and determines that incinerators, along with a number of other industries, cause more damage to the economy than the value they add to the marketplace.

    But since the study came out, technologies have improved for reducing incinerator pollution. Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Committee Chair Malcolm Brodie said in an op-ed last fall that the new incinerator would be built to have minimal impact on air quality, and that the existing incinerator in Burnaby had undergone substantial upgrades to reduce emissions.

    “And as result of its advanced and continuously improving pollution control technologies, the Burnaby facility has an excellent performance record and no discernible impact on air quality,” he wrote.

    The authors — Yale economics professors Robert Mendelsohn, William Nordhaus and asst. economics Prof. Nicholas Muller at Middlebury College — argue in the report that in a free market, the final price of a product does not reflect the indirect cost of damage to the environment.

    The authors used models and data to calculate physical and economic damage, and calculated a Gross External Damage (GED) of each polluting industry by measuring emissions of sulfur dioxides, nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter and the social cost of these emissions on health.

    Of 17 industries examined, solid waste combustion and incineration topped the list with the highest damage to value-added ratio. Coal fired power plants, meanwhile, ranked at number four.

    The paper’s authors also suggest that consumers are not paying for the full price for these industries, as all costs are not being calculated.

    The study determines that the total gross external damage from all industries in 2002 is $184 billion, with utilities such as incineration and the agricultural/forestry sector generating 51 per cent of those costs.

  45. I aint no nigger Avatar
    I aint no nigger

    DEAR DLP CAN YOU READ AND GET BACK TO US?

    The petition to ship back the 50 forty-foot container vans full of garbage from Canada is going viral in the cyberspace as netizens continue to sign up the petition started by Change.Org.
    With bold letters, “CANADA PICK UP YOUR GARBAGE!!! PHILIPPINES IS NOT YOUR TRASH CAN!!!,” the petition continues to gain support from thousands of netizens following it.

    The petition was started by Anna Marie Kapunan, a resident of Quezon City, after the said container vans continue to be stocked at the compound of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) in Manila.
    The container vans were shipped to the country and were intercepted by the BoC in June 2013.

    The vans, which were originated in Canada, were filled with used mixed heterogeneous waste composed of used plastic bags, bottles, newspaper, household garbage and even used adult diaper.
    The importation is under the name of Chronic Plastics as both consignee and sold to party and Chronic Inc. is the shipper.

    The BoC declared the 50 forty-footer container vans filled with used heterogeneous wastes as unlawful importation pursuant to Republic Act 6969 entitled, “Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste and Control Act of 1990.”

    In the same manner, the importation constituted illegal trade pursuant to the BASEL Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal.

    The Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine earlier inspected the container vans and reported that the 18 opened container vans need to be disinfected the soonest time possible.

    However, the cost of the disinfection will be shouldered by the Philippine government and the cost effective way of disinfecting is through sodium hypochlorite (bleach solution).

    Upon consultation with Ang NARS, BoC and DoH-Bureau of Quarantine, the parties have agreed on the organic method of disinfecting.

    But the cost of would be roughly P20,000 to disinfect the 18 opened vans but it would benefit the neighboring communities and the environment, specifically the Manila Bay, for being less abrasive in decreasing the risks of health hazards.

    In February, the BoC filed a complaint before the Department of justice against Chronic Plastics.
    Until now the 50 container vans, are left in the vicinity of the BoC. Change.Org stated in their petition the garbage juices are now leaking and pose extreme hazards and irreversible environmental problems in our country.
    With the clear illegal trade or unlawful importation violates the rights of the parties under the Basel Convention, which was adopted on March 22, 1988 with the Philippines as one of the signatory.

    The said convention was designed principally to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries.
    Further, the treaty’s primary objective is to protect human health and environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes and prohibits the trafficking of wastes.

    A petition was sent to the Canadian Embassy by the Ang NARS with Public Services Labor Confederation, Ateneo School of Government, Greenpeace, Green Convergence, Ecowaste Coalition, Mother Earth Foundation and Ban Toxics.

    The petition is mainly to fast track the re-exportation of the container vans to Canada, to reimburse the actual cost incurred by the government and to restitute damages it may have caused the environment.

  46. Checker Hall Resident Avatar
    Checker Hall Resident

    Waste incineration in cement kilns is a widespread reality in Spain that is causing major distress to local communities, as it’s been one more time confirmed in the 5th gathering of the Spanish Network Against Incineration in Cement Kilns, celebrated on 7-9 March in Morata de Tajuña, Spain.

    The Spanish Network Against Incineration in Cement Kilns was created in 2010 in Ponferrada and brings together local networks from around the country that are campaigning against this polluting practice. “During these last years we have seen the spread of waste incineration in cement kilns all over Spain, always helped with the complicity of the central Government, the Department of Environment in many of the Autonomous Communities and municipalities”, said Lorenzo Mora from the Asociación de Vecinos de Morata de Tajuña, the local organizers.

    Cement kiln meeting small“Cement kilns are currently burning municipal waste, used tires, bone meal, etc, which has severe consequences for public health and destroys limited natural resources which should be saved, recycled or reused, according to current Spanish and European legislation” said Carlos Arribas from Ecologistas en Acción – Valencia in his intervention.

    Carlos is a Physics professor that has been working on waste issues for more than 25 years. He provided an update on the new legislative framework for cement production in Spain, which will require cement kilns to revise their practices and adapt them to the new legal requirements to obtain permits. Amongst other measure, this will involve ensuring that they don’t burn waste that could be reused or recycled. “Cement plants will now be required to tell exactly what it’s being burnt in their kilns. We should all request this information and make sure we call out any legal gap”, said Carlos.

    Waste incineration in cement kilns has been found to be a source of major carcinogenic emissions, as recently pointed out in peer-reviewed research conducted by Universidad Carlos III. On this regard, Dr. Pilar Muñoz Calero of Fundación Alborada, working on the field of environmental medicine to help people affected by environmental pollution, raised the close relationship between pollution and its health effects.

    “Doctors have an ethical duty to engage and actively participate in prevention of illness,” said Dr. Muñoz. “I have people that have been through 30-40 doctors and systematically just been given pills when in fact are dealing with a massive level of contamination in their bodies.” Dr. Muñoz alerted that the cases of child cancer, as well as respiratory problems and asthma are increasing at alarming rates.

    Levels of contamination of heavy metals, dioxins and furans, have reportedly increased since the cement plant in Morata de Tajuña started burning Refused-Derived Fuel (mixed waste) and used tyres. In a report published by the town’s Council, the level of cadmium and nickel had increased by 3’57%, other nine heavy metals had risen to 15’49%, and the levels of dioxins and furans had reached a 729’54% higher.

    “Cement companies claim that there is no alternative for the waste they burn in their kilns, but we all know this is false”, said Mariel Vilella from Zero Waste Europe/GAIA, the international network promoting zero waste solutions. Vilella talked about the very positive results of Zero Waste experiences in Guipuzkoa, Italy and other places around the world where the generation of residual waste has radically decreased after implementing separate collection at source and waste prevention policies.

    “Unfortunately, the production and burning of Refuse-Derived Fuel is increasing and posing an obstacle to develop zero waste strategies further. This is not helping the development of a resource-efficient Europe, but rather locks us in a wasteful society”, said Vilella.

    The gathering concluded with an open strategy meeting to discuss proposals for the next year. Projects approved included the production of a report tracking down the greenhouse gas emissions allocations to cement kilns within the EU Emissions Trading System; the elaboration and circulation of a statement against waste incineration in cement kilns to be signed-on by political parties, and giving support to Zero Waste alternatives throughout Spain.

    Burning municipal waste that can be recycled or composted in incinerators or cement kilns is a ruinous project from an energetic, economic and health viewpoint. Burning waste which cannot be recycled doesn’t help to redesign or prevent that waste in the future.

    Why do it then? The Zero Waste alternative presented in Morata de Tajuña to demonstrated that there are feasible, cheaper and way healthier alternatives to waste incineration in cement kilns.

    It is time to stop wasting resources and damaging people’s health.

  47. Snowbird from Barbados Avatar
    Snowbird from Barbados

    Pollution alerts – heavy smog – respiratory threats. Those aren’t Vancouver’s problems, but those of Los Angeles or Asia’s mega cities. Right?

    “People very often say to me, ‘the air here is so clear [in Vancouver]. Look at Beijing – look at New Delhi.’

    “Well, if we don’t care – that’s what we will [become],” said UBC air pollution expert Douw Steyn on Thursday.

    The South African-born atmospheric sciences professor has long been highly critical of Metro Vancouver plans to burn half a million tonnes of garbage per year as a solution to the region’s growth woes. And he hasn’t minced words.

    “A dangerous thing” and “scandalously stupid” have been part of Steyn’s public comments about building incineration in the Lower Fraser Valley’s air shed. Of concern, he said, are the health problems from increasing ground-level ozone pollution.

    http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/garbage-burning-plan-dangerous-health-says-ubc-expert

  48. Snowbird from Barbados Avatar
    Snowbird from Barbados

    It’s a business model that would likely have gotten an executive team in trouble years ago.

    In 2014, Metro Vancouver’s Burnaby waste-to-energy (WTE) facility will cost taxpayers $22 million to operate, including operating expenses and long-term debt servicing charges. On the revenue side, the facility will bring in just a quarter of that amount — $5.7 million — by burning garbage and selling electricity to BC Hydro.

    Big companies and big money square off over Metro Van’s $480m incineration plan
    Metro Van and Fraser Valley Regional District butt heads over incinerator plan
    Andrea Reimer says Metro Vancouver’s incinerator plans from another area
    Since 2006, the facility has regularly cost taxpayers more than twice what it generates in revenues.

    On top of that, Metro Vancouver now has announced it will spend an additional $8 million this year on emission upgrades, adding to the $60 million already spent on improvement to the Burnaby WTE since it opened in 1988. Between 2012 and 2017, the Authority intends to spend an additional $37.5 million upgrading the WTE facility which regularly achieves emission targets set by government.

    In total, almost $100 million will be spent on the incinerator since it opened. But the Burnaby waste-to-energy incinerator is a key component of an overall integrated solid waste plan passed by Metro Vancouver in 2010. Part of that is because waste to incineration still generates some income, even if not enough to offset the operating costs.

    Today, Metro Vancouver regional authority is now debating whether to spend an extra $480 million to build one (or more) new incinerators to handle the region’s future garbage.

    It’s a contentious proposal, with big money and big players involved. Several multi-national companies, including Covanta and BC’s Aquilini family, are queuing up to bid on the project. Meanwhile, the neighbouring Fraser Valley Regional District, a major BC business lobby and Vancouver city councillors are opposing incineration.

    “City Council has made it clear since 2011 that we do not support the mass burning of garbage,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson in November.

    Half a billion taxpayer dollars
    The BC Chamber of Commerce is also fighting the proposal, but more because they see it as a costly public project that could create a monopoly and shut out competitors.

    “Half a billion dollars is half a billion dollars we don’t have, so taxpayers …can’t afford it,” says John Winters, president of the BC Chamber of Commerce.

    “They (Metro Van) have a perfectly good system in place right now that is run by municipalities, and the private sector is doing an excellent job of keeping the landfills busy and diverting waste and getting recyclables out.”

    “So here’s our government, that is not elected to do anything like this by the way, no accountability, spending half a billion dollars. It is really a sad state of affairs,” Winter said.

    Generating electricity and dollars through incineration
    Proponents of the incinerator project, however, say the waste-to-energy incinerator is the best way to keep non-recyclable trash out of the landfills, while still making a bit of revenue from it.

    “I believe we are on the appropriate route,” Brodie said in a recent interview with The Vancouver Observer. “We rely on scientists and engineers, we rely on planners and all kinds of consultants and experts who will guide us.”

    According to BC Hydro statistics, the province’s sole garbage incinerator in Burnaby had the capacity to generate 131 gigawatt hours of electricity last year.

    But critics say there’s no public demand in BC to generate more electricity through incineration. “It’s a really dirty way to be generating electricity, when we have better ways in BC,” says Elaine Golds, chair of the Burke Mountain Naturalists conservation committee. The province, in fact, currently produces more than 86 per cent of its power through clean energy sources such as hydro dams, wind and other energy projects.

    “Wherever incinerators are used to generate electricity, it is never a very clean process. (It’s) often termed as being dirtier than using coal, because some of the material that gets put into the incinerator shouldn’t be there in the first place,” she said.
    Across the globe, burning garbage to generate electricity has been an approved method to deal with waste for decades. Metro Van has been generating energy from waste in the Burnaby incinerator since 1988. In the future, Metro Vancouver plans to recycle or divert 80 percent of waste, and use waste-to-energy incineration to recover energy from the remainder. A 2008 US study comparing recycling and waste incineration in 22 states concluded that both are “compatible waste management strategies” that do not inhibit recycling.

    The BC Chamber of Commerce contests that if a new incinerator is built, opportunities for private enterprise to capitalize on any valuable materials in garbage bags will disappear.

    “There’s no way they’ll have enough garbage to feed that beast by then. Incinerators of this kind in Scandinavia are already bringing waste in from as far away as Italy to feed their appetite because they can’t generate enough in their own community … to feed these beasts,” says Winter.

    “I think it is a terrible, terrible mistake,” says Marc Lee of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Lee authored a report last March examining consumer consumption and better ways to recycle. “It will lock us in to needing to produce garbage in order to feed these facilities for decades into the future and that’s not where we should be going.”

    The BC Chamber of Commerce says the massive expenditure planned by Metro Van can’t be justified, especially when there are companies ready and willing to deal with the excess garbage.

    “The technology continues to evolve and develop that will enable MRF’s (material recovery facilities) to take a garbage bag, crack it open and either electronically or physically separate all the stuff in it and divert it to the various streams,” says Winter. “And some will presumably go to an incinerator. Some will go to a landfill, but a lot of it will find its way into a recyclable process.”

    How to deal with extra garbage?
    Metro Van says MRFs are now part of the waste-management strategy, but even with MRFs and an eventual 80 per cent diversion of the waste stream, there still will be hundreds of thousands of tonnes of garbage left over that must be dealt with.

    http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/burnaby-incinerator-burning-through-taxpayer-money?page=0,1

  49. ac Avatar
    ac

    @BELIVE IT OR NOT
    …………

    And they all came crawling out of the woodwork or in this case out of the garbage,,,,,,,,belive it or not it is time to fire up the incinerators,,,,,,,

  50. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    While Barbados is concentrating on,or forever talking about, State-of -The- art ,and cutting edge technology ,and a Degree in every home, it is badly neglecting the basic things that keep us going, which require low tech applications and a dose of commonsense. If we cannot contend with this ,how do we expect to hang our hats a bit higher?
    Yesterday half of the island was without water, because of a broken pump at one of BWA’s stations, no doubt due to a lack of maintenance, and today the same was repeated for a number of other communities .
    But what really got to me yesterday, was to hear an announcement of the radio stations that the lack of running water to these communities was due to the BWA’s inability to pump water to the Castle Grant reservoir in St Joseph, which feeds them.
    We talk of Food Security, but what about Water Security in its fullest sense.
    Take a look at Castle Grant’s Reservoir which , I thought was abandoned, but apparently still supply many Barbadians in the northern parishes. We Barbadians are slipping and tumbling badly in every sphere. And to compound matters , this reservoir is situated, on top of a horticultural establishment ,which certainly uses large quantities of pesticides and insecticides.
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/83717797@N04/13593315685/in/photostream
    ://www.flickr.com/photos/83717797@N04/13593346963/in/photostream/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/83717797@N04/13593691764/in/photostream/

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