126 responses to “Mechanical Engineer Calls on the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers (BAPE) to Address the Proposed Cahill Waste to Energy Plant”

1. 

   Alvin Cummins

   July 20, 2015 at 9:30 pm

   
   

   @David et al.

   You would know that I would jump in this. So here is the first of a number of articles I plan to send you to give BU readers the other side of the foolishness Kamie etc. want to pull over the eyes of the Barbadian public, and the scam he wants to perpetuate. He knows that his proposal for4 Zero waste will never work in Barbados. Bajans do not have the temperament to be zero waste produces. Won’t go into that in detail now, later.
   Here goes.
   Article 1.

   The syngas stored in these tanks is a mixture of mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide and is produced as a result of the plasma gasification process. After further purification, the syngas can either produce fuel or be converted into fuel. Courtesy of IGP Energy.

   Situated along the highway in Arlington, Oregon, what looks like a hill from afar reveals its true identity only upon a closer look. This is the 700-acre Columbia Ridge Landfill, one of the largest in the United States. Each week, 35,000 tons of mostly household trash arrives here from Seattle, Portland, and other communities.

   While recycling has become more deep-rooted in public culture, two-thirds of household waste still ends up in landfills. Therefore, conventional recycling strategies are not the complete answer. But what lies tucked away in the southwest corner of the Columbia Ridge Landfill could be a solution.

   The Columbia Ridge Landfill receives 35,000 tons of trash each week from Seattle, Portland, and other communities. A plasmas gasification plant on site aims to process 25 tons of waste per day at full capacity. Courtesy of Oregon Live.

   The Columbia Ridge Landfill is home to the first large-scale commercial plant in the United States that uses a technology called plasma gasification. Developed in part by Jeff Surma and S4 Energy Solutions, the plant converts municipal household garbage into syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Unlike conventional waste processing methods such as incineration, the process does not produce harmful byproducts like dioxins; instead, the syngas produced can be used as fuel or sold to industry, a groundbreaking recycling feat that has brought plasma gasification increased attention nationwide.

   Here is a step-by-step overview of the process:

   From the Wired article (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/01/ff_trashblaster/all/)

   Gasification: The waste is shredded and travels to the top of a large tank, mixing with steam and oxygen and falling into a 1,500 degree Fahrenheit furnace. This gasification transforms a majority of the waste into a mixture of gases that heads to the syngas chamber.
   Plasma Blasting: The undestroyed material enters another specially insulated cauldron where two electrodes create an electric arc (akin to a bolt of lightning) that produces a stream of plasma, breaking down the gases into their constituent atomic components and producing more syngas.
   Hazardous Material Collection: A joule-heated melter sits at the bottom of the second cauldron and traps any hazardous material left over from the plasma-blasting in a slurry with molten glass.
   Recycling: The slurry is drawn out of the system and becomes inert. In this state, the molten glass can be converted into low-value materials like road aggregate. Any metals are also captured here and later recycled into steel and other products.
   Fuel Capture: The syngas captured consists mostly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. After purification, it can either produce electricity or be sold and converted to fuels.

   Two electrodes can create an electric arc of plasma, which has a unique ability to break gases down into their constituent atoms. Courtesy of Biomass Magazine.

   Theoretically, the process seems foolproof because all byproducts of the reactions are dealt with and useful resources are generated. However, some environmentalists believe this efficiency discourages recycling and the development of renewable products while encouraging more apathy toward trash. Furthermore, up to this point plasma gasification has been too energy- and capital-intensive to handle mass amounts of municipal trash in landfills. “The problem has been over the years trying to find that economic sweet spot,” said Joe Vaillancourt, the liaison between S4 and Waste Management, a $15.4 billion company headquartered in Texas.

   Surma and the team behind S4 hope to address these challenges soon. Since the plant at Columbia Ridge is a test facility, they are working to fine-tune the process until the technology becomes ready for expansion. A significant breakthrough was installing a gasifier on top of the electric arc; this “pre-heats” most of the trash so that the plasma heater uses less energy on the remainder of the process. S4 also hopes to make the plant self-sustaining, so that the syngas will be burned to supply the power necessary to run the melter in the system. By S4’s predictions, once the Columbia Ridge facility is running at full capacity, it will process 25 tons of waste per day.

   Any hazardous material that escapes destruction by the plasma heater falls into a slurry with molten glass. This slurry is slowly drawn out and cools to become inert, when it can then be converted into low-value materials such as road aggregate. Courtesy of WordPress. (http://everythingneat.wordpress.com/tag/molten-glass/)

   Meanwhile, corporations such as Waste Management are actively channeling funds toward research on plasma gasification and similar technologies. Increased market in the past few years has taken plasma gasification from small companies to a national level; in August 2012, for example, the Department of Agriculture announced a $105 million loan guarantee to Fulcrum BioEnergy to build a similar system outside of Reno, Nevada. This complex, which Fulcrum hopes to have running by 2014, would use three plasma melters to process 400 tons of waste daily, an unprecedented feat for a commercial plasma waste facility. The increasing number of initiatives like this one is a sign that trash is changing at the corporate and even national level. Slowly but surely, we are developing ways to combat our trash problem and redefine the way we think about it.

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2. 

   Alvin Cummins

   July 20, 2015 at 9:32 pm

   
   

   @David I forgot to put the date of this article…it was 2013 and there have been maNY IMPROVEMENTS SINCE THEN

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3. 

   David

   July 20, 2015 at 9:51 pm

   
   

   @Alvin Cummins

   For every article you post for, BU, if we felt inclined could post one against. This is a scientist who hast laid out some cold concerns many which have to do with the points you have raised.

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4. 

   Alvin Cummins

   July 20, 2015 at 10:03 pm

   
   

   @DAVID AND KAMMIE.
   ARTICLE 2.

   The Recovered Energy System™
   EXTRACTING ENERGY FROM WASTE WITHOUT COMBUSTION

   DISCUSSION ON
   PLASMA GASIFICATION

   Plasma gasification is the gasification of matter in an oxygen-starved environment to decompose waste material into its basic molecular structure. Plasma gasification does not combust the waste as incinerators do. It converts the organic waste into a fuel gas that still contains all the chemical and heat energy from the waste. It converts the inorganic waste into an inert vitrified glass.

   Plasma is considered a 4th state. Electricity is fed to a torch, which has two electrodes, creating an arc. Inert gas is passed through the arc, heating the process gas to internal temperatures as high as 25,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The following diagram illustrates how the plasma torch operates.

   Plasma Torch

   The temperature a few feet from the torch can be as high as 5,000-8000º F. Because of these high temperatures the waste is completely destroyed and broken down into its basic elemental components. There are no tars or furans. At these high temperatures all metals become molten and flow out the bottom of the reactor. Inorganics such as silica, soil, concrete, glass, gravel, etc. are vitrified into glass and flow out the bottom of the reactor. There is no ash remaining to go back to a landfill.

   The plasma reactor does not discriminate between types of waste. It can process any type of waste. The only variable is the amount of energy that it takes to destroy the waste. Consequently, no sorting of waste is necessary and any type of waste, other than nuclear waste, can be processed.

   The reactors are large and operate at a slightly negative pressure, meaning that the feed system is simplified because the gas does not want to escape. The gas has to be pulled from the reactor by the suction of the compressor. Each reactor can process 20 tons per hour (tph) compared to 3 tph for typical gasifiers. Because of the size and the negative pressure, the feed system can handle bundles of material up to 1 meter in size. This means that whole drums or bags of waste can be fed directly into the reactor making the system ideal for large scale production.

   The gas composition coming out of a plasma gasifier is lower in trace contaminants than with any kind of incinerator or other gasifier. Because the process starts with lower emissions out of the reactor it is able to achieve significantly lower stack emissions. The gasifier doesn’t care about the amount of moisture in the waste. The moisture consumes energy to vaporize and can impact the capacity and economics, however, it will not affect the process.

   Discussion Links
   Plasma Gasification
   Waste to Energy
   Landfills
   Waste Management
   Power Plants
   Greenhouse Gas
   Green Electricity
   Terrorist Security
   Pure Water
   Recycling
   Pyrolosis
   Biological Waste Processing
   Small Scale Gasification
   Coal Gasification (IGCC)

   I am going to overwhelm you with the evidence to counteract the negative nabobs in the Barbadian society. He who has eyes to read, let him read. Those who want to remain in the past with no intention of moving into the future can choose not to be educated about this issue.

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5. 

   Alvin Cummins

   July 20, 2015 at 10:08 pm

   
   

   @David et al.
   Article 3.

   Global Waste-to-Energy Market to Reach $29.2 Billion by 2022
   March 23, 2012
   In 2011, the world generated an estimated 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). Over the next decade this number will grow much higher, increasing global demand for solutions that convert waste into heat and electricity, a family of processes known as waste-to-energy (WTE). WTE encompasses thermal and biological conversion technologies that unlock the usable energy stored in solid waste. High upfront capital costs and attractive economics for landfilling, however, represent persistent barriers to widespread adoption. Although more than 800 thermal WTE plants currently operate in nearly 40 countries around the globe, these facilities treated just 11% of MSW generated worldwide in 2011 compared to the 70% that was landfilled. According to a new report from Pike Research, this number is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade. Waste-to-energy systems will treat at least 261 million tons of waste annually by 2022, with a total estimated output of 283 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity and heat generation, up from 221 TWh in 2010. Under a more optimistic scenario, WTE will potentially treat 396 million tons of MSW a year, producing 429 TWh of power.
   The global market for thermal and biological WTE technologies will reach at least $6.2 billion in 2012 and grow to $29.2 billion by 2022, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts. Under the optimistic forecast scenario, market value could reach $80.6 billion by 2022.
   “With many countries facing dramatic population growth, rapid urbanization, rising levels of affluence, and resource scarcity, waste-to-energy is reestablishing itself as an attractive technology option to promote low carbon growth in the crowded renewable energy landscape,” says senior analyst Mackinnon Lawrence. “China is already in the midst of scaling up capacity, and growth there is expected to shift the center of the WTE universe away from Europe to Asia Pacific.”
   WTE facilities are integrated into broader waste management regimes aimed at preventing the use of landfills. Although combustion technologies continue to lead the market, advanced thermal treatment (ATT) technology deployments such as pyrolysis are expected to pick up as diminishing landfill capacity improves WTE economics. Utilization of biological technologies is also expected to increase worldwide.
   Pike Research’s report, “Waste-to-Energy Technology Markets”, analyzes the global market opportunity for WTE across three key technology segments: combustion, gasification, and anaerobic digestion. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the demand drivers, business models, policy factors, and technology issues associated with the rapidly-growing market for WTE. Key industry players are profiled in depth and worldwide revenue and capacity forecasts, segmented by application and region, extend through 2022. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.
   Co

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6. 

   Alvin Cummins

   July 20, 2015 at 10:11 pm

   
   

   @David I read his comments at the lecture he gave

   ALL the concerns, If they have not yet been answered, will be by the time MY series ; copied from various sources will answer them

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7. 

   Alvin Cummins

   July 20, 2015 at 10:33 pm

   
   

   @David

   Article 4.
   he second bioamass-to-energy approach is gasification. In particular, we will look at plasma gasification (at up to 20,000 degrees F). The high temperatures achievable via plasma gasification provide an ultra-clean syngas product.
   In plasma gasification, biomass is fed into a closed chamber and superheated to temperatures of up to 20,000 degrees fahrenheit. The intense heat transforms biomass into syngas, which is then reformulated using into ethanol and green diesel, hydrogen, methanol or methane. A secondary process can convert the base materials into other industrial chemicals.

   S4 Energy Solutions’ initial focus will be to process medical and other segregated commercial and industrial waste streams. The company’s future commercialization plans may also include the processing of municipal solid waste once the technology has been demonstrated to be economical and scalable for such use. The S4 technology is designed with unique advances in plasma technology that increase the lifespan of high-cost elements such as the refractories.

   Tests of the unit have shown that there is no creation of dangerous dioxins, and the process produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a 1:1 ratio, while recovering 50-70 percent of the BTUs in the waste. _BiofuelsDigest
   Part of the syngas is used to power gas turbines for electricity, to power the plasma itself. Excess electricity is sold to the utility. Excess syngas not used for electricity production can be used for multiple purposes including liquid fuels production and high value chemicals production.

   Heat can be recovered from the process and used to power a steam cycle turbine for additional electricity, and to provide process heat — or to produce environmental heat for commercial or residential use.

   Municipal waste is a good feedstock for such a process, since the final product is purified so thoroughly by the 20,000 degree F temperatures. But should many of these plants be built, there will not be enough municipal waste to power them all, and they will need to contract with biomass suppliers in the agricultural and forestry sectors.

   Biomass has the advantage of containing built-in solar energy storage. But it is not nearly as energy-dense as fossil fuels. Humans need to use a bit of ingenuity to find efficient ways of densifying biomass. Pyrolysis, gasification, torrefaction, etc. accomplish densification as an intermediate step.

   Prior to those processes one needs to harvest, collect, dry, and often compress the biomass close to the source, before moving to intermediate processing above. As long as the biomass is produced locally and regionally for local and regional processing, transportation costs are kept to a minimum.

   Producers of bioenergy need to be planting now, in order to have ample supplies of biomass available in a few years when they are ready to produce power and fuels.
   Labels: biomass, biorefinery, cellulosic fuels, plasma gasification

   POSTED BY AL FIN AT 7:44 AM 2 comments
   THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2009

   Abundant Energy from Water and CO2?
   Northwestern University scientists aim to go where no scientist or engineer has gone before. They plan to use H20 and CO2 to create syngas and subsequent hydrocarbons, with the final end product being H20 and CO2!
   Researchers at Northwestern University are proposing, and have begun experimental validation of, a renewable liquid-fuel energy storage cycle based on the co-electrolysis of H2O and CO2 using a solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) powered by renewable electricity to produce syngas. The syngas is then in turn converted into liquid fuels (e.g., methanol or synthetic hydrocarbons) which could be used in a direct fuel cell.

   The direct fuel cell produces electricity, with water and CO2 as byproducts of the oxidation of the liquid fuel in the fuel cell. These would be captured and recycled back into the co-electrolysis process. _GCC
   As you can see from the diagram, O2 is removed from the CO2 and H20 mix in the electrolyser to yield CO + H2 — syngas! Syngas can be converted to liquid fuels, which when reacted in a fuel cell will yield CO2 and H20. These products can then be used as reactants in the electrolyser once again.

   There is a bit more involved, of course. There will be a great deal of fancy catalysis going on at all stages. More at link above and here.

   Most approaches for using CO2 to create energy that do not involve a biological intermediate, are PR stunts and gimmicks. But biology achieves its magic via biochemical catalysis, which can be reproduced and mimicked by scientists in the lab and by chemical engineers in the processing plant. My main concern is that humans may use so much CO2 for energy that the biosphere of the world will go starving for its vital food gas. 😉
   Lab.

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8. 

   David

   July 20, 2015 at 10:34 pm

   
   

   @Alvin

   What is posted in the blog was not delivered anywhere. You have obviously confused the engineer’s blog post above with some other. It just confirms you don’t read with understanding but prefer to rush it like a bill in a china shop..

   On 21 July 2015 at 02:11, Barbados Underground wrote:

   >

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9. 

   millertheanunnaki

   July 20, 2015 at 10:42 pm

   
   

   @ Alvin Cummins July 20, 2015 at 10:08 PM

   OK, Alvin Chipmunk Cummins, we get your point. The WTE plant is technically suitable to Barbados and Plasma Gasification is far superior to any known technology used for municipal waste management.

   But show us the money! Where are the investors queuing up to finance this project?
   Didn’t you make a similar technical case for the construction of the Bridgetown Pierhead marina and the Sugar Point Cruise Ship Terminal?
   Where are the investors for the projects who were fighting outside the office of the Minister of Finance only last year looking for piece of the action? What about the technologically advanced sugar cane factory to make the sugar cane industry the envy of the sugar producing world and provide Barbados with 20% of its electricity needs?

   Which set of investors in their right mind (unless all of them are called AC’s -Absolute cu**ts) would pump hundreds of millions into a WTE plant to go up in smoke in a country with junk bond status and a stagnating tourism industry? Why not invest that money in Cuba?
   But with the death of King Sugar and the ailing tourism industry Barbados should be looking for a new area of economic activity to employ the thousands about to come on the job market. Why not be the dumping ground for other countries’ waste? There is money to be made from “DEM” darn piles of stinking rotting garbage floating off the West Coast making the Sargassum seaweed smell like Khus Khus perfume.

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10. 

    David

    July 20, 2015 at 10:47 pm

    
    

    Here is a comment from the FB Group:

    Are we not creating a catch 22 situation here, Cahill wants to grow king grass on all the abandon lands to feed the beast, but the MOA wants to convert all the useable land back into sugar cane and river tambrind trees to feed the new sugar factory. Who is going to win out.

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11. 

    Alvin Cummins

    July 20, 2015 at 10:56 pm

    
    

    @ Miller’
    PATIENCE!! At least you admit that so far on this issue I AM RIGHT.
    HERE IS ARTICLE 5.

    Burning issue: ‘Waste-to-energy’ plants cut garbage, fuel use
    By Indiana Living Green Editors on February 11, 2013 in News & Features, News Briefs · Add Comment ·
    By Nate Seltenrich

    The Daily Climate

    daily climate photo 1

    Read a recent ILG story on Indianapolis’ Covanta waste-to-energy plant here.

    OAKLAND, Calif. – The farm town of Gonzales, in the center of the Salinas Valley, has been known throughout its 140-year history as “Little Switzerland,” the “heart of the salad bowl,” and, today, the “wine capital” of Monterey County.

    Now a proposal from a Canadian energy company could change Gonzales’ moniker yet again: It hopes to build a commercial-scale plant for harvesting energy from trash – the first of its kind in the United States.

    The project’s future is decidedly uncertain. But roughly 100 similar proposals to turn trash to energy have cropped up nationwide the past six years, as local and state officials scramble to meet mandates to divert waste from landfills and find more renewable energy sources.

    The Gonzales plan, led by Ottawa-based Plasco Energy Group, seemed like a sure thing until last fall, when a state board ruled that the technology cannot qualify as green energy because it does not operate with zero emissions, eliminating a financial incentive. The decision, while not necessarily enough to kill the project, may have alerted developers to steer clear of California, the nation’s largest and most lucrative renewable-energy market.

    Others proceeding

    But other proposals, scattered across the country, are still proceeding and look much the same: They rely on a few related and often controversial technologies known as pyrolysis, plasma and gasification to apply high temperatures to trash in an oxygen-controlled environment. A few of the 100 or so U.S. proposals to date have planned to burn medical or hazardous wastes.

    In each case, heat converts the waste material into ash and syngas — the latter composed mainly of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The plants then either burn the syngas in turbines to produce electricity.

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12. 

    David

    July 20, 2015 at 10:58 pm

    
    

    Some may recall when the overpasses for the ABC was at its height BAPE was very vocal on the subject. Why the silence this time around?

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13. 

    ac

    July 20, 2015 at 11:00 pm

    
    

    the bottom line here coming from these fear mongers is their own interest,tone of having a vested interest in protecting the projects that keep money flowing in their pockets , what other reason , when have any one of these carpet baggers have or had any interest in other economic or social problem that affect barbados. but yes the WTE plant rubs them the wrong way and it is obvious the bottom line is and always be the almighty dollar.
    Just watch closely in the weeks and months ahead how they all would be falling in line in to push back any efforts the govt might have in building the WTE plant ,this is truly a case where birds of a feather flock together

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14. 

    David

    July 20, 2015 at 11:01 pm

    
    

    The government knows Bynoe of Bs bought that piece of equipment costing millions yet they have gone ahead and left him high and dry.

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15. 

    David

    July 20, 2015 at 11:02 pm

    
    

    Here it is we have a Black home grown entrepreneur and he has been left high and dry by BOTH BLACK led political parties. Ugly!

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16. 

    Colonel Buggy

    July 20, 2015 at 11:16 pm

    
    

    Lets not forget , that within the Cabinet of Barbados is a qualified Mechanical Engineer, the Minister of Health, who I assumed is also a member of the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers. Conflict of interest here? or just a case of hunting with the hounds and running with the hares.

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17. 

    Alvin Cummins

    July 20, 2015 at 11:18 pm

    
    

    @David, I am surprised at you bringing colour into this discussion
    Article 6. After this there will be a temporary halt. There are to many articles to get material from. By the way it was mentioned that the engineer who spoke waqs a mechanical engineer. Was he a Chemical engineer also? Just wondering.

    Health hazards and waste management
    Lesley Rushton
    + Author Affiliations

    MRC Institute for Environment and Health, Leicester, UK
    Correspondence to: Lesley Rushton, MRC Institute for Environment and Health, 94 Regent Road, Leicester LE1 7DD, UK. E-mail: lr24@le.ac.uk

    Next Section
    Abstract

    Different methods of waste management emit a large number of substances, most in small quantities and at extremely low levels. Raised incidence of low birth weight births has been related to residence near landfill sites, as has the occurrence of various congenital malformations. There is little evidence for an association with reproductive or developmental effects with proximity to incinerators. Studies of cancer incidence and mortality in populations around landfill sites or incinerators have been equivocal, with varying results for different cancer sites. Many of these studies lack good individual exposure information and data on potential confounders, such as socio-economic status. The inherent latency of diseases and migration of populations are often ignored. Waste management workers have been shown to have increased incidence of accidents and musculoskeletal problems. The health impacts of new waste management technologies and the increasing use of recycling and composting will require assessment and monitoring.

    Health hazards and waste management
    Lesley Rushton
    + Author Affiliations

    MRC Institute for Environment and Health, Leicester, UK
    Correspondence to: Lesley Rushton, MRC Institute for Environment and Health, 94 Regent Road, Leicester LE1 7DD, UK. E-mail: lr24@le.ac.uk

    Next Section
    Abstract

    Different methods of waste management emit a large number of substances, most in small quantities and at extremely low levels. Raised incidence of low birth weight births has been related to residence near landfill sites, as has the occurrence of various congenital malformations. There is little evidence for an association with reproductive or developmental effects with proximity to incinerators. Studies of cancer incidence and mortality in populations around landfill sites or incinerators have been equivocal, with varying results for different cancer sites. Many of these studies lack good individual exposure information and data on potential confounders, such as socio-economic status. The inherent latency of diseases and migration of populations are often ignored. Waste management workers have been shown to have increased incidence of accidents and musculoskeletal problems. The health impacts of new waste management technologies and the increasing use of recycling and composting will require assessment and monitoring.

    This abstract was taken from the British Medical Journal, but it was written in 2003. Much has happened in this area in the last 12 years.How come it is only in 2015 that there is so much agitation by the opposition at this time. Political opportunism, against a government that has problems and a Prime Minister that is vilified every time a certain moderator; an advocate for the abolition of the eleven plus exam, is on, would you say?

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18. 

    millertheanunnaki

    July 20, 2015 at 11:20 pm

    
    

    @ Alvin Cummins July 20, 2015 at 10:56 PM

    You are a genuine “AC” for real. An ‘Absolute Cretin’ indeed!
    As a ‘dabbler’ in the art of writing books you ought to be aware of a technique called “sarcasm”.

    Well, what do you think? Is the miller for or against the technical benefits of the WTE or its financing impossibilities?
    What are the trade-offs- both quantifiable and implicit- between hotels with 80% occupancy and a WTE plant burning imported stinking garbage in a tropical small island no bigger than a small municipal in North America or Europe?

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19. 

    Colonel Buggy

    July 20, 2015 at 11:22 pm

    
    

    David July 20, 2015 at 11:01 PM #

    The government knows Bynoe of Bs bought that piece of equipment costing millions yet they have gone ahead and left him high and dry
    ……………………………………………………………………………………….
    At least his equipment was not burnt out, like the big boys in the business did to the expensive batching equipment belonging to the Legall fellow with the ready mix concrete plant , near the Villages.

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20. 

    David

    July 20, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    
    

    @Alvin

    You have made your point post links and not copy and paste, it is most inconsiderate. So far you have not responded intelligently to concerns raised about the project. As far as you are concerned we should accept it all. You are a yard fowl our excellence!

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21. 

    ac

    July 20, 2015 at 11:29 pm

    
    

    with so many WTE plants already in progression and no health hazards reported or cause by them is an issue all by itself that the environmentalist cannot explain away and one that is the forefront of attempting to dissuade the public interest away from endorsing the use of the WTE plants. Until the environmentalist can show substantial proof of the negative effects to the public they would continue to be locked into an atmosphere of innuendo trying to messenger by attractive words of fear but unable to articulate the hazards that so far have not occurred due to WTE plants

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22. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 20, 2015 at 11:35 pm

    
    

    Dear Alvin Cummins,if you are so certain about the technology would you or any of your friends be willing to have a public debate to discuss the pros and cons of this project you want the world to believe is the best thing since weave on. The Future Centre Trust have consulted experts the world over both for and against Plasma Gasification. All would agree the technology has its merit, its unproven technology thus why no 100% large scale plasma gasification plants are in operation and 100 tons of toxic ash will need to be landfilled daily.

    Oh by the way who for a fool builds a factory on a hill. Tell the country about the 45 cents per Kwh that Cahill will be selling baseload electricity to government while Light will be around 23 cents Kwh. I dare you with your partisan copy and paste opinions to speak to the residents downwind of Portvale. and to build a house to the west of plant.

    Plasma Gasification is a Harvard invention thus how come no commercial plants exist in the USA. I can tell you the reason but I cannot make life so easy for you. Should I give you a contact at the US Energy Department or the EPA. Stop allowing politicians to make a fool of you just for your obituary to say longstanding party member. You getting old and should be a role mode tol young politicians on what is good governance.

    Remember, the Future Centre Trust is seeing the same behavior from partisans as what transpired with Greenland. However thank goodness there is now social media. You are invited to call the Future Centre Trust and share in the wealth of scientific papers on the subject. Stop insult persons who don`t support your particular party its unbecoming of a senior citizen.

    Read up on the Rio Declaration Principle 10

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23. 

    Colonel Buggy

    July 20, 2015 at 11:37 pm

    
    

    @ Miller
    We do not need to import any garbage from abroad ,not just yet, Barbados is now covered with tons upon tons of our own raw,and I mean raw, material.
    http://i.imgur.com/cHG6MuI.jpg?2

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24. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 21, 2015 at 12:02 am

    
    

    Barbados only have a waste management problem because the governments wants it to. We only have men peeing all over because we want them to. When bajans migrate the will recycle and the men will not pee on the streets.

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25. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 21, 2015 at 12:09 am

    
    

    1st July 2013

    Mr. Edison Alleyne
    The Permanent Secretary
    Ministry of the Environment & Drainage
    1st Floor
    SP Musson Building
    Hincks Street
    Bridgetown
    St Michael

    Dear Sir,

    The Future Centre Trust is an environmental Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and registered charity providing environmental education to the public of Barbados. Our mission is “To stimulate awareness and encourage responsible management of the vital relationship between people and nature leading to a sustainable future for all”.

    Our mandate therefore compels us to advocate for the sustainable development of our nation. The Future Centre Trust was founded following the creation of the Village of Hope for The U.N. Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in Barbados in 1994. The resulting documents, the Barbados Programme of Action and the Barbados Sustainable Development Policy (BSDP, 2004) translate our commitment to Agenda 21 as a nation. Within the Barbados Sustainable Development Policy, it is detailed that public participation in sustainable development should be guided by Proactivity, Inclusiveness, Shared Responsibility, Openness, Access and Transparency. The BSDP states that “The full participation of all those interested in or affected by sustainable development issues is essential to achievement of durable solutions” (BSDP p.20, 2004).

    We are aware of the proposal for the development of a Waste to Energy Facility at the Mangrove Pond Landfill in the coming months and have a number of concerns about this proposed initiative.

    We have outlined our questions and concerns below:

    • Based on Agenda 21 which was agreed upon by the worldwide community as the best framework for adopting sustainable development and the Barbados Sustainable Development Policy, we understand that it is incumbent upon the Government of Barbados to ensure that there is disclosure and transparency in all matters related to environmental decision making in our nation, and specifically on large scale facilities such as the proposed Waste To Energy facility. In this regard, has there been any public engagement on this matter? For example, have there been town hall meetings held to adequately brief the public about this initiative, and to allow for public comment on its pros and cons?

    • Have there been any Environmental/Social Impact Assessments completed for the proposed facility? If so could these assessments be made available to us and the general public?

    • We are concerned about the state of Barbados’ air quality and the impact which this facility would have on residents, in particular those from the surrounding St. Thomas area who currently carry the heaviest environmental burden in our society with the location of several waste facilities. How has the decision been made about where a Waste To Energy Facility should be located in order to have the least impact on the environment and society?

    • Has the Government of Barbados found a model of a Small Island Developing State which has successfully implemented a Waste To Energy facility without updating its’ existing pollution and solid waste management regulations and investing in the technology to respond to the associated risks? ?

    • How does the Government of Barbados intend to ensure that Barbados does not exceed its ecological carrying capacity by increasing our generation of waste for this facility?

    • Could you indicate what type of technology is being proposed for use in this initiative and the type of waste which will be used as feedstock? Will recyclable plastics and compostable waste be used as feedstock or is there a plan to separate this type of waste at origin?

    • What standards and methods will be used by the Government of Barbados to monitor and regulate the nitrogen dioxide, mercury, dioxin, particulate matter, and acidic gas which are by-products of Waste to Energy facilities? What is the capacity of EPD and other relevant entities to manage both the pollution and risk of failed operations? We are concerned about the impacts of this facility to our air, water and soil quality. FCT is also concerned about the safety of staff working in this facility and residents of surrounding areas. What capture and treatment mechanisms will be required by the GOB for the fly-ash generated by the Waste To Energy facility? • As an entity which avidly promotes the implementation of recycling we have seen great successes with our CoRe Network initiative which works with community groups to teach them the principles of recycling and aid them in the establishment and execution of a recycling centre for their community. We would be happy to share detailed information about the response and the results we have had to date. We are disappointed that the GOB has yet to implement an effective national recycling program nor have they identified recycling targets. Not only is recycling an environmentally responsible practice but it is also an economically progressive one. A legislated recycling policy with clearly defined targets and adequate funding could further stimulate the local economy. The recycling industry can create more jobs and multiple businesses opportunities which can lead Barbados to a clean, green and sustainable economy. The Canadian jurisdiction provides interesting models of related legislation and how to go about enforcement. Why was this Waste To Energy option proposed as opposed to the consideration of legislated recycling? What efforts has the GOB made to legislate recycling?

    We do hope to receive a response in adequate time that we can contribute to the decision making related to this venture.

    Sincerely
    The Board of Directors
    THE FUTURE CENTRE TRUST

    ………………………………………………
    Vivian Anne Gittens
    Chairman of the Board of Directors
    THE FUTURE CENTRE TRUST

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26. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 21, 2015 at 12:21 am

    
    

    Thursday afternoon Jan 3, 2008
    DLP leader David Thompson hosted a press conference today where he distributed the attached documents dealing with a proposed legal framework to promote accountability, transparency and accountability in public life and fight corruption.
    The Ministerial Code takes effect immediately after a DLP government is elected. The Freedom of Information Act and Integrity legislation will be dealt with in the first 100 days in office.
    Any questions, give me a call. If you were part of the traditional media, you would have been invited to the news conference where you could have asked whatever you wanted.
    Best regards
    Reudon Eversley
    Communications Director
    DLP General Election Campaign 2008

    1/ “The Ministerial Code – A Proposal”

    DRAFT
    (Revised December 15, 2007)

    THE MINISTERIAL CODE – A PROPOSAL

    BACKGROUND

    The following pages contain a proposal for a draft code of ethics and procedural guidance for persons who assume ministerial office in a new DLP government. Its purpose is to clearly define the framework within which the bond of trust between the Government and the people of Barbados should be established. The Code which has been adapted from the United Kingdom Ministerial Code.

    THE MINISTERIAL CODE

    Ministers of the Government are expected to behave according to the highest standards of constitutional and personal conduct in the performance of their duties.
    This Code provides guidance to Ministers on how they should act and arrange their affairs in order to uphold these standards. It lists the principles which may apply in particular situations. It applies to all Ministers of the Government, and covers Parliamentary Secretaries.
    Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Code and for justifying their actions and conduct in Parliament.
    Ministers only remain in office for so long as they retain the confidence of the Prime Minister. He is the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a Minister and the appropriate consequences of a breach of those standards, although he will not expect to comment on every allegation that is brought to his attention.
    The Code should be read against the background of the overarching duty on Ministers to comply with the law, including international law and treaty obligations, to uphold the administration of justice and to protect the integrity of public life. They are expected to observe the Seven Principles of Public Life set out in the appendix to this document, and the following principles of Ministerial conduct:

    a. Ministers must uphold the principle of collective responsibility;

    b. Ministers have a duty to Parliament to account, and be held to account, for the policies, decisions and actions of their ministries, departments and agencies;

    c. It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament. Any inadvertent error should be corrected at the earliest opportunity. Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the Prime Minister;

    d. Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public in providing information except where disclosure would be detrimental to the public interest as determined by the relevant statutes;

    e. Ministers should similarly require civil servants who give evidence before Parliamentary Committees on their behalf and under their direction to be as helpful as possible in providing accurate, truthful and full information in accordance with the duties and responsibilities of civil servants;

    f. Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests;

    g. Ministers should avoid accepting any gift or hospitality which might, or might reasonably appear to, compromise their judgement or place them under an improper obligation;

    h. Ministers must not use government resources for Party political purposes. They must uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service and not ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the accepted code of behaviour of civil servants.
    MINISTERS AND APPOINTMENTS

    Appointments by Ministers

    The Prime Minister should be consulted in good time about the appointment or re-appointment of the Chairman and members of statutory boards and agencies.
    In all such cases, the Prime Minister will need to be informed about the particular requirements of the post, the attributes essential for a candidate and the extent to which candidates meet such requirements. In particular, the Prime Minister should be informed of other factors bearing upon the appointment of particular candidates (e.g. potential conflicts of interest that may arise) and all other relevant information.

    MINISTERS AND CIVIL SERVANTS

    Ministers have a duty to:

    a. Give fair consideration and due weight to informed and impartial advice from civil servants, as well as to other considerations and advice, in reaching policy decisions;

    b. Uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service, and not to ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the Civil Service Code;

    c
    f. Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests;

    g. Ministers should avoid accepting any gift or hospitality which might, or might reasonably appear to, compromise their judgement or place them under an improper obligation;

    h. Ministers must not use government resources for Party political purposes. They must uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service and not ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the accepted code of behaviour of civil servants.
    MINISTERS AND APPOINTMENTS

    Appointments by Ministers

    The Prime Minister should be consulted in good time about the appointment or re-appointment of the Chairman and members of statutory boards and agencies.
    In all such cases, the Prime Minister will need to be informed about the particular requirements of the post, the attributes essential for a candidate and the extent to which candidates meet such requirements. In particular, the Prime Minister should be informed of other factors bearing upon the appointment of particular candidates (e.g. potential conflicts of interest that may arise) and all other relevant information.

    MINISTERS AND CIVIL SERVANTS

    Ministers have a duty to:

    a. Give fair consideration and due weight to informed and impartial advice from civil servants, as well as to other considerations and advice, in reaching policy decisions;

    b. Uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service, and not to ask civil servants to act in any way which would conflict with the Civil Service Code;

    c. Ensure that any influence over appointments is not abused for partisan purposes; and

    d. Observe the obligations of a good employer with regard to terms and conditions of those who serve them.

    Civil servants should not be asked to engage in activities likely to call in question their political impartiality, or to give rise to the criticism that people paid from public funds are being used for Party political purposes.

    The role of the Accounting Officer

    Under section 18 (1) of the Financial Management and Audit Act, the Director of Finance and Economic Affairs designates the persons who shall be Accounting Officers. The essence of the role is a personal responsibility for the propriety and regularity of the public finances for which he or she is responsible; for keeping proper accounts; for the avoidance of waste and extravagance; and for the efficient and effective use of resources. Accounting Officers answer personally to the Committee of Public Accounts on these matters, within the framework of Ministerial accountability to Parliament for the policies, actions and conduct of their Ministries/Departments.
    Accounting Officers have a particular responsibility to see that appropriate advice is tendered to Ministers on all matters of financial propriety and regularity and more broadly as to all considerations of prudent and economical administration, efficiency and effectiveness and value for money. If a Minister in charge of a Ministry is contemplating a course of action which would involve a transaction which the Accounting Officer considers would breach the requirements of propriety or regularity, the Accounting Officer will set out in writing his or her objection to the proposal, the reasons for the objection and the duty to inform the Director of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Auditor General should the advice be overruled. If the Minister decides nonetheless to proceed, the Accounting Officer will seek a written instruction to take the action in question. The Accounting Officer is obliged to comply with the instructions, send relevant papers to the Director of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Auditor General, and inform the Accountant General of what has occurred. A similar procedure applies where the Accounting Officer has concerns as regards the value for money of a proposed course of action. The procedure enables the Committee of Public Accounts to see that the Accounting Officer does not bear personal responsibility for the actions concerned.

    Civil servants and Party Conferences

    Ministers should not ask civil servants to attend, or take part in, Party Conferences or meetings of policy or subject groups of any political party. In their official capacity, civil servants should not accept invitations to conferences convened by party political organisations.

    MINISTERS’ CONSTITUENCY AND PARTY INTERESTS

    Ministers should not use for Party or constituency work facilities provided at Government expense to enable them to carry out their official duties. Ministers should ensure that expenses for constituency work are not charged to the public purse.
    Government property should not generally be used for constituency work or party activities.
    Where Ministers have to take decisions within their Ministries/Departments which might have an impact on their own constituencies, they should, of course, take particular care to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

    MINISTERS’ PRIVATE INTERESTS

    Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.
    It is the personal responsibility of each Minister to decide whether and what action is needed to avoid a conflict or the perception of a conflict and to defend that decision, if necessary by accounting for it in Parliament. The role of the Permanent Secretary is to ensure that advice is available when it is sought by the Minister, either by providing it personally, drawing on precedent and if need be other parts of government including the Secretary of the Cabinet, or to arrange for expert or professional advice from inside or outside Government. In cases of serious difficulty or doubt the matter may be referred to the Prime Minister for a view. But ultimately it is the responsibility of Ministers individually to order their own private lives in such a way as to avoid criticism, and the final decision about what action to take to achieve that is theirs.
    Where it is proper for a Minister to retain a private interest it is the rule that he or she should declare that interest to Ministerial colleagues if they have to discuss public business which in any way affects it and that the Minister should remain entirely detached from the consideration of that business. Similar steps may be necessary if a matter under consideration in the ministry, department or agency

    relates in some way to a Minister’s previous or existing private interests such that there is or may be thought to be a conflict of interest. Particular care needs to be taken where financial interests are involved.

    Personal information which Ministers disclose to those who advise them must be treated in confidence. Should the Ministry receive a request for this information it will take account of a range of factors including the confidentiality of the information. The relevant Minister will also be consulted and his or her views taken into account before a decision is made on disclosure. If an allegation is made that a particular Minister has a conflict of interest it must be for that Minister to explain his/her position and justify what has been done. In doing so, they may wish to make public the list of their private interests and the steps taken to avoid an actual or perceived conflict. It is open to them if they wish to confirm (if it is the case) that they have consulted their Permanent Secretary in accordance with the Code. The Minister should however consult the Permanent Secretary about the content of any such statement before making it to ensure that there is agreement about the content, and any disagreement should be referred to the Prime Minister.
    The intention of these procedures is not to inhibit the holding of Ministerial office by individuals with wide experience, whether of industry, a profession or some other walk of life, but to ensure that systemic steps are taken to avoid the danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
    When they take up office Ministers should give up any other public appointment they may hold, except where the Prime Minister determines that the retention of such an appointment would be in the national interest.
    Ministers should take care to ensure that they do not become associated with non-public organisations whose objectives may in any degree conflict with Government policy and thus give rise to a conflict of interest. Hence Ministers should not normally accept invitations to act as patrons of or otherwise offer support to pressure groups, or organisations dependent in whole or in part on Government funding. There is normally less objection to a Minister associating him or herself with a charity (subject to the points above) but Ministers should take care to ensure that in participating in any fund-raising activity, they do not place, or appear to place, themselves under an obligation as Ministers to those to whom appeals are directed (and for this reason they should not normally approach individuals or companies personally for this purpose). In any case of doubt, the Prime Minister should be consulted before a Minister accepts an association with such bodies. Ministers should also exercise care in giving public support for petitions, open letters etc.
    There is no objection to a Minister holding trade union membership but care must be taken to avoid any actual or perceived conflict of interest. Accordingly:
    a. Ministers should arrange their affairs so as to avoid any suggestion that a union of which they are a member has any undue influence;

    b. They should take no active part in the conduct of union affairs, should give up any office they may hold in a union; and should receive no remuneration from a union; but

    c. Ministers may make payments purely to protect future pension rights, if they have been employees of a Union.

    Financial interests

    Ministers must scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or apparent conflict of interest between their Ministerial position and their private financial interests. In order to avoid such a danger, they should be guided by the general principle that they should either dispose of any financial interest giving rise to the actual or apparent conflict or take alternative steps to prevent it. The Permanent Secretary as Accounting Officer has a personal responsibility for financial propriety and regularity across the Ministry’s business, and his or her advice must be given particular weight where such issues arise.
    Two particular ways in which a conflict of financial interest, or the perception of it, can arise are as follows:

    a. From the exercise of powers or other influence in a way that does or could be considered to affect the value of interests held; or

    b. From using special knowledge acquired in the course of their Ministerial activities in ways which bring benefit or avoid loss (or could arouse reasonable suspicion of this) in relation to their private financial interests.

    Apart from the risk to the Minister’s reputation, two legal obligations must be born in mind. Any exercise or non-exercise by a Minister (including a Law Officer) of a legal power or discretion or other influence on a matter in which the Minister has a pecuniary interest could be challenged in the courts and, if the challenge is upheld, could be declared invalid.
    If for any reason the Minister is unable or unwilling to dispose of a relevant interest, he or she should consider, with the advice of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and, where necessary, an external adviser what alternative measures would sufficiently remove the risk of conflict. These fall into two types: those relating to the interests themselves, and those relating to the handling of the decisions to be taken or influenced by the Minister.
    Unless adequate steps can be taken in relation to the financial interests, the Ministry must put processes in place to prohibit access to certain papers and ensure that the Minister is not involved in certain decisions and discussions. The extent to which this can be done depends on the specific powers under which the Minister would be required to take decisions.

    Partnerships

    Ministers who are partners, whether in professional firms, for example solicitors, accountants etc, or in other businesses, should, on taking up office, cease to practise or to play any part in the day-to-day management of the firm’s affairs. They are not necessarily required, however, to dissolve their partnership or to allow, for example, their annual practising certificate to lapse. Beyond this it is not possible to lay down precise rules applicable to every case; but any continuing financial interest in the firm would make it necessary for the Minister to take steps to avoid involvement in relevant decisions.

    Directorships

    Ministers must resign any directorships they hold when they take up office. This applies whether the directorship is in a public or private company and whether it carries remuneration or is honorary. The only exception to this rule is that directorships in private companies established in connection with private family estates or in a company formed for the management of apartments of which the Minister is a tenant may be retained subject to the condition that if at any time the Minister feels that conflict is likely to arise between this private interest and public duty, the Minister should even in those cases resign the directorship. Directorships or offices held in connection with charitable undertakings should also be resigned if there is any risk of conflict arising between the interests of the undertakings and the Government. It is a well established and recognised rule that no Minister or public servant should accept gifts, hospitality or services from anyone which would, or might appear to, place him or her under an obligation. The same principle applies if gifts etc are offered to a member of their family.

    Acceptance of gifts

    This is primarily a matter which must be left to the good sense of Ministers. But any Minister in doubt or difficulty over this should seek the Prime Minister’s guidance. The same rules apply to the acceptance of gifts from donors with whom a Minister has official dealings in this country as to those from overseas, that is:

    a. Receipt of gifts should be reported to the Permanent Secretary;

    b. Gifts of small value (say, up to $250) may be retained by the recipient;

    c. Gifts of a higher value should be handed over to the Ministry for disposal, except that:

    (1) The recipient may purchase the gift at its cash value (abated by $250);

    (2) If the Ministry judges that it would be of interest, the gift may be displayed or used in the Ministry;

    (3) If the disposal of the gift would cause offence or if it might be appropriate for the recipient to use or display the gift on some future occasion as a mark of politeness, then the gift should be retained in the Department for this purpose for a period of up to five years;

    d. Gifts received overseas worth more than the normal travellers’ allowances should be declared at importation to Customs and Excise who will advise on any duty and tax liability. In general, if a Minister wishes to retain a gift he or she will be liable for any tax or duty it may attract.

    Gifts given to Ministers in their Ministerial capacity become the property of the Government and do not need to be declared.
    APPENDIX

    The Seven Principals of Public Life

    Selflessness
    Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.
    Integrity
    Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

    Objectivity
    In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

    Accountability
    Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

    Openness
    Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

    Honesty
    Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

    Leadership
    Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

    2/ “A Model Freedom Of Information Law”

    A MODEL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW

    ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

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27. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 21, 2015 at 12:25 am

    
    

    @Alvin Cummins and other partisans of the various political parties. The people of Barbados voted for the DLP because the promised a new governance model. Lest you forget

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28. 

    David

    July 21, 2015 at 5:54 am

    
    

    Interview with Tony Kite Gibbs:

    https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1631407333740576

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29. 

    ac

    July 21, 2015 at 7:33 am

    
    

    what the dlp supporters of the govt proposed plan would like to know why are those in opposition to the WTE plant finds it necessary to inject Fear as a method to persuade when there is overwhelming evidence to support that the enviromentalist is far far from being truthful about the negative impact from the WTE plants

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30. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 21, 2015 at 7:35 am

    
    

    AC, so what would be Tomy Gibbs beef?

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31. 

    Kammie Holder

    July 21, 2015 at 7:45 am

    
    

    @AC, lets embrace the BREA alternative of 100%Solar/ Wind Hybrid with Storage that would cost less. Would you and Alvin compromise with the alternative which have dangers on disposal but less inherent dangers and less costly to country.

    Kindly, lets have a conversation and not a conversation for Barbados belongs to all of us thus we all want whats best for country.

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32. 

    St George’s Dragon

    July 21, 2015 at 7:45 am

    
    

    The easiest answer is that people are actually afraid of the cost and health effects.

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33. 

    David

    July 21, 2015 at 7:59 am

    
    

    At minimum Barbadians, or some of them, are asking questions because we have been educated. Remember book learning as some people say is not being educated.

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34. 

    ac

    July 21, 2015 at 8:54 am

    
    

    i would tell u what if the enviromentalist could find a better and more effecient way that can carry thebulk of the weight of enegry cost to the govt and in the meanwhile efficient enough to dispose of garbage without all the necessary hazards that are attached to landfills i would compromise. ..again and again most of the enviromental projects have been tried for years and as energy cost rises a very small dent if any has been of benefical to saving engery cost to govt and household as the cost of energy continues to rise. that is as far as i am concerned one of the main drivers that makes WTE plants a feasible and viable comprehensive option one that is very hard to argue against especially when energy is factored

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35. 

    Gabriel

    July 21, 2015 at 8:55 am

    
    

    I was unaware of Vivian-Anne Gittens’s other role as Chair of the Board of Future Centre Trust.I am sure it’s pure coincidence that she was hauled before the courts in her role of publisher of the Nation newspaper to answer a charge involving the publication of an image.I am sure also that the learned magistrate having dismissed the charge brought by the police,that none other than the senior law enforcement officer of this realm,with his extremely busy schedule overseeing the day to day functions of his officers and men,could find it possible to find the time to appeal the magistrate’s decision to a higher court.
    Based on the evidence before the court of public opinion,is it possible that “it is the voice Jacob but the hand of Esau?Is the CoP taking direct orders from the guys again?

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36. 

    David

    July 21, 2015 at 9:03 am

    
    

    It is strange Gabriel the CoP has appealed this matter, very strange.

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37. 

    ac

    July 21, 2015 at 9:16 am

    
    

    personally ac does not belive that some if these big “gun” enviromentalist are genuine in their activism against WTE reasons that i have stated in earlier comments and have their own personnal agendas attached. ac also have concerns about issues that negatively impact the enviroment but in this issue i have chosen to removed myself from the “noise”of. fear mongering which had taken centre stage and. have instead relied on doing research which would guide as (to) convince one way or another and so far what research i have done has in no way stimulate or convince my interest that fear of the WTE plant is real and the plants should be avoided at all cost

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38. 

    Alvin Cummins

    July 21, 2015 at 10:40 am

    
    

    @Kammie,
    for the time being this will have to be our forum since I am overseas, but I am perfectly willing to have this discussion via this medium.
    For your information I was one of the original members of the Future Centre Trust. I was at the first meeting, held at the Future Centre Trust building there at the bottom of Shop Hill when the German investor conceptualized the Trust, and the development of the waterfront area where the sugar bond is located. I am familiar with the objectives etc. of the Trust. I am not against you; we are on the same page of the same book. Where we differ is that I may be a few paragraphs ahead of you. Having lived in Canada; one of the cleanest countries around, I am quite familiar with the benefits etc of recycling material. I am quite familiar with the methods employed by municipalities here to enforce rules and regulations pertaining to waste separation-at source- and the disposal of said separated waste. Barbados is a very indisciplined society and it will take a long, long time to bring them to the christian understanding of waste separation and disposal. In the mean time this garbage, daily produced; unseparated and un-recycled’ continues to pile up.

    Mt. Stinkeroo is as high as it can go, time is passing quickly, and there are no more prospects for another place to put the garbage that continues to accumulate. The best solution; and it must be understood that any solution will take years to implement, but one that should be pursued with urgency, is the application of Plasma-Gasification. The people MUST be educated and FORCED to separate and recycle, but you and I know that that must not be the end we seek. The ultimate objective is to reduce the amount of waste going into a landfill to as little as possible, while recovering and recycling what is possible, and from which money can be made

    Gasification(a different process), and Incineration, are not the best options, so we should concentrate our energies collectively, and without rancour to serve our country the best way possible. We are both scientific persons with a better level of understanding than many others. Let us work together to help our people understand everything they can about waste to energy uses, waste separation, and recycling. Let us be honest in our pursuit of this objective, not being sidetracked, or deterred in giving the BRST advice possible. We may differ in our opinions but these differences can be discussed and resolved amicably.

    Plasma gasification is new; still in the development stage in many places, but Barbados has the opportunity to be a leader in the use of this technology. Let us embrace it and see where we can help in its progress.
    The funding will come we should not be deterred or sidetracked who wonder how the costs will be paid look at the benefits and a cost benefit analysis will show that the costs can be recovered over time. Let us not be suspicious of everyone who offers to help; even if their objective is to make money; everybody’s’ objective is to make money, but no one wants to jeopardize their own future. After all Barbados is not the only game in town and there are much bigger “fish in the pond”.

    The more town hall meetings we have, and the more discussions take place, and the more information that is distributed by whatever means, will serve to better out society.

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39. 

    de Ingrunt Word

    July 21, 2015 at 10:41 am

    
    

    AC, it is extremely difficult to take your comments on these blogs seriously. When you opine as above that “ac also have concerns about issues that negatively impact the enviroment but in this issue … fear mongering which had taken centre stage… [I ] have instead relied on doing research ” it is absolutely disingenuous.

    Why are questions about a lack of an environmental assessment, or the fact that a plant of this size cannot be sustained with our output of garbage, or the concerns abut maintenance and upkeep, ‘fear mongering’? Why is your research more acceptable that the research of the Future Center Trust and others.

    Throughout this entire debate a key criticism from the Center and others has been about the lack of transparency. They have stressed the need for clarity and the importance of doing the right project for our tourism dependent economy.

    There is no FEAR MONGERING. Just a democratic and vociferous offering of different views. Everyone accepts that Barbados has to manage its garbage issues with some type of WTE or Zero Waste recycle process.

    We challenge those like you who are only catching the corn from your political masters to show respect for the citizens and deconstruct the details of this project that started at $240M, has moved to $700M and clearly could morph closer to $1B.

    AC, an open and honest expose. Start with the basics first. Why is there talk of importing garbage and how is the residue from the burnt garbage properly managed? Is this extremely large investment the best use of limited resources?

    The only folks who have attempted to incite fear are you and your leaders. Your remarks are full of gumption. With respect, no more than a load of political swill. Garbage in, garbage out!

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40. 

    Alvin Cummins

    July 21, 2015 at 10:51 am

    
    

    @Kamie,
    I forgot to mention that the MAJOR objective of the waste to energy plant is NOT the production of Electricity; that is a side benefit because it also reduces the dependence on fossil fuels to produce the electricity (in addition to solar and wind); but the reduction of material going into a landfill.By the way people must not be given the belief that Cahill is the ONLY energy company either in the construction of Plasma gasification plants or in the waste to energy business.

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41. 

    de Ingrunt Word

    July 21, 2015 at 11:04 am

    
    

    David, you said above, “Remember book learning as some people say it not being educated”. An addendum to that could be ‘a little learning could be dangerous’.

    I enjoy a good conspiracy as much as anyone and power brokers do ‘work in mysterious ways their wonders to behold’ but to suggest a link between Ms Gittens’ role at the Future Center Trust and the CoP appeal is a whole lot of beholding going on.

    To what avail I ask?

    Are you and Gabriel suggesting that such harassment of Ms. Gittens would chill her ardor on her interests at the Trust -like CAHILL? That she would be intimidated in her other capacity as a Newspaper publisher?

    Really!

    Come on guys. There is intimidation taking place daily in BIM, oh lawd we know that but for people like Ms. Gittens this is like a morning shower: part of life!

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42. 

    St George’s Dragon

    July 21, 2015 at 11:07 am

    
    

    The difficulty of getting Bajans to separate their waste is a complete red herring. Government pays for SBRC the sole purpose of which is to separate all the waste. If the Cahill plant goes ahead, Government will have to buy SBRC and close it down. Yet another cost implication of the Cahill plant which has not been declared.

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43. 

    David

    July 21, 2015 at 11:21 am

    
    

    @Dee Word

    The point about the Nation Publisher should be interpreted in isolation.

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44. 

    Bush Tea

    July 21, 2015 at 11:53 am

    
    

    @ Gabriel
    The problem with all organisations is that its various power brokers all tend towards the personality of the leader…..birds of a feather so to speak…

    So the CJ appears to be a clone of the pm
    …the COP appears to be a mental version of the pm
    …the MoF appears to be a little froon
    …Donville appears to be a big froon

    And of course any ‘different breeds’ get spaded and reduced to poodles -no matter how many guns they are known to pull… ha ha ha

    Who else would have brought this ‘charge’ for a newspaper publishing something that happened in a school classroom; ..was publicly available on the internet; …and that school children do every damn day anyhow….? who but a froon…?

    …and what idiocy would lead to an appeal after a magistrate dismisses the nonsense ?

    Shiite man… this COP seems to like LOSING court cases….
    Any CoP who is overruled by the court more than twice should AUTOMATICALLY be ruled unsuitable for the role….
    …but then again he did not apply did he…?

    LOL
    On the issue with the white powder at NUPW, Bushie was looking for the COP to issue a statement calling on all pharmacies to secure their powder in the back rooms ..and for supermarkets to apply for licenses to sell flour…
    ….but that was only based on his approach to dealing with illegal guns…. 🙂

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45. 

    Alvin Cummins

    July 21, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    
    

    @St. George’s Dragon.
    From what you have written before, I get the impression that you are a Bajan living in the U.S. The contract for the construction was negotiated between the last government and SBRC. There was no provision in the plans for Waste to ‘energy conversion of separated material. There was no provision for the destruction of vehicle tyres for instance. After separation there was no provision for recycling. As a consequence everything that could not be composted would have to be put in a landfill. We have no more landfill space. What should happen then? What would be the obvious solution. What are the sensible feasible alternatives?

    Isn’t it time that people utilize their energies finding solutions to the country’ problems instead of fighting an election long before an election is called?

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46. 

    pieceuhderockyeahright

    July 21, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    
    

    Wait I did jes reading furder into dis article and see dat dem did not get Vivianne Gittens lock up for them lascivious pictures dat Sankey Price print of dem schoolchilren.

    I did very glad causing i mean dat I did gine get a chance to apply for Sankey Price job and aid in bad talking Fumble and Buffalo Stinkliar (notwithstanding his Jenny Craig diet)

    En jes a i was gine set down and write fuh Sankey job, the pervert that it would seem that he is, but den agin he boss, not Vivianne, does be known fuh similar tings dem, Kaplax,, and dem gine appeal and bring Vivianne tuh court agin!!

    Supposing de jubge dat she get is Marston? Wunna know dat my future boss gine get lock up??

    Oh and to all uh wunna conspiracists it is only by Chance dat Anne is Chaiman uh de Futre Trust and dis which hunt (not meaning tuh say dat Ann look like a witch or nuffing) it is not becausing uh de fact dat she at de Future Centre, Anne doan really do nuffin dere, it is moreso becausing uh de articles dat the BLP Nation Newspaper does be publishing pun a day bout de DLP.

    Cahill is jes an incidental.

    Vivianne, I wud appreciate if you cud jes give me a littlle pick tuh write some lies and untruths (dem is de same right?) fuh a likkle berry.

    “Every munt (I din say khunt) every munt dem does do a lot uh khunt wid me pension and mek de ole man grunt…”

    I cud write in de corner where dat umman from Redifusion used to write bout M.O.T.H.E.R (M is for the many things she gave me, o means that she’s only grown ing old…)

    I jes show you dat i got poetry skills and since you ent get lock up yet, pleasing tuh gi de ole man a pick so I can pay Stinkliar WTE taxes please!!!

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47. 

    David

    July 21, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    
    

    @Alvin

    Why is it you cannot understand the issue for many is the lack of transparency and the proposed design of the plasma plant? Can you remove your blinkers for two minutes? By doing so it defines what is a debate and we learn from the process.

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48. 

    Alvin Cummins

    July 21, 2015 at 12:31 pm

    
    

    @David,
    Those articles I put on the blog were all cut from a variety of sources and pasted. The reason I did this was to place a more knowledgeable group of expert views on the table, less people continue to accuse me of “thinking I [you] know everything.”.

    Whether it is the Cahill plant or something from another comPANY, THE FACT IS THAT SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.WHATEVER IS DONE, QUESTIONS WILL BE ASKED, BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL HAVE CONCERNS. if the answers are different from those expected people will be scepticsl. The problem lies in the politics associated with the questions (and their motivation) the answers (and their background) and the mindset of those who get the answers and decide to ignore the logic of the answers.

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49. 

    Hants

    July 21, 2015 at 12:40 pm

    
    

    @ Kammie Holder who wrote ” Plasma Gasification is a Harvard invention thus how come no commercial plants exist in the USA.”

    There will be eventually.

    http://www.wired.com/2012/01/ff_trashblaster/

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50. 

    ac

    July 21, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    
    

    first of all dee word your assertion that ac is being fed by some master and ac spirlt is in contingency. with those masters in order to collect some form of compensation is strong and outrageous and one which you can never prove.As far as what u conclude and whether my concerns for enviromental issues are genuine and ought to be given serious thought in light of my comments on the WTE issue does not in any way remove the facts contained as to the research on the WTE and on which my conclusions are formed. All in all i am at peace based on research about the plant and do not or have not seen the need to retract or change my conclusion / opinion about the plants after doing the research where the information points to aspectd on positives which out weighs the negatives

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