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In response to media enquiries, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department today (January 18) repeated that under the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO), there was no provision for the Director of Environmental Protection to extend the period of public inspection, other than in the limited circumstances under section 7(3) of the ordinance.
Under section 7(3), the director's power to extend the period of public inspection for up to another 30 days can be invoked only when there is non-compliance with requirements such as those on advertisement and public exhibition.
There were requests that the director should extend the public inspection period for the EIA Report on the Castle Peak Power Company Limited's proposed liquefied natural gas project.
"In this present case, the applicant has complied with the requirements and there is no ground for the director to extend the period of public inspection," the spokesman said.
People may give written comments on the report before the 30-day public inspection period ends on January 25.
In parallel, the Advisory Council on the Environment will have 60 days until February 24 to give their comments to the Director of Environmental Protection for consideration.
Under the EIAO, the director may, within 14 days of the expiry of the public inspection period or the receipt of comments from the Advisory Council on the Environment, whichever is later, ask an applicant in writing to give him the information he requires to decide on whether to approve the report. The Ordinance further provides that the director shall, within 30 days of (a) the expiry of the public inspection period; (b) the receipt of comments from the ACE; or (c) the receipt of information from the applicant, whichever is the later, approve, approve with conditions or reject the EIA report.
"The director is bound to act in accordance within the time stipulated in the EIAO and it is therefore important for the director to comply with the statutory timetable," the spokesman said.
Ends/Thursday, January 18, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:14
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