Citizens to rejoin debate over controversial plant
Updated: 2007-12-05 20:04
Xiamen -- The local government of Xiamen Wednesday began inviting citizens to submit their opinions on the future of a controversial chemical plant project that was suspended earlier this year following persistent public protests over the threat of pollution.
Members of the public have been told they can register their suggestions over the next ten days via email, post or telephone with the municipal government or the Beijing-based Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences that is in charge of an assessment of the environmental impacts of the project.
"We'll treat the opinions and suggestions collected through public participation in an objective, fair and comprehensive way," said Li Yanwu, director of the academy's center for environmental assessment, at a press conference held in the southeastern port city Wednesday.
"As to whether a suggestion is accepted or not, we will give explanations and include some of those into our newly completed report on the environmental assessment of the chemical project," said Li.
The Xiamen authorities put the potentially dangerous chemical project, known as the PX (paraxylene) plant in the city's Haicang District, 16 kilometers from the city center, on hold on May 30 after coming under immense pressure from citizens virulently opposed to the project.
On June 7, the local government announced that the construction of the chemical project would rest on an environmental assessment.
A month later, the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences was entrusted with the assessment task. Li and his colleagues finished the report late last month.
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