Thursday, January 22, 2009

THURSDAY-22 JANUARY 2009 - EIA NEEDED, REITERATES MINISTER


EIA needed, reiterates Minister

KOTA KINABALU:

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun yesterday reiterated the State Government’s stand on the proposed coal-fired plant to be built in Sandakan.


“I would like to stress that the Government’s position was that an EIA must be conducted and if the EIA recommends that the area is not suitable for a coal-fired plant, and then the State Government will listen and act on the advice.

“We need to give everybody an opportunity to air their views and the Government will be sensitive to their views,” he said when asked to comment on Sandakan Member of Parliament Datuk VK Liew’s call that the Government use the same practice it applied when rejecting the proposed Lahad Datu coal-fired plant.

He said that any decision made on the proposal should be best for Sabah.

Masidi also expressed hope that Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd I will take into account that the price of fuel is now lower than coal.