Illawarra Mercury - article 19 January 2009

Concerns over Port Kembla truck plan
BY ALEX ARNOLD
19/01/2009 4:00:00 AM
The NSW Greens have called for a public inquiry into the Port Kembla Coal Terminal's proposal to lift restrictions on road delivery to its terminal.
The PKCT wants to run coal trucks outside the 7am to 6pm curfew window and is seeking approval to allow it to receive coal by road 24 hours, seven days a week up to a maximum of 10 million tonnes per year.
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said her concerns had been heightened after the submissions report prepared for the PKCT was "quietly placed on the NSW Department of Planning website at the end of last year". Individuals who made submission had not been notified, she said.
Ms Rhiannon said the 115-page report responding to submissions minimised legitimate concerns.
She said the Government had a responsibility to find a balance between the profits of companies and people's health.
"This doesn't get it right," she said.
"The proponent rejects the Ministry of Transport's sensible proposal to maintain the existing proportion of coal going via rail and road," she said. "The cumulative impact of additional coal and car freight from an expanded Port Kembla has also been downplayed."
A public inquiry was needed as a result of the Government's close links to coal companies, she said.
During the exhibition period in September and October last year 122 public submissions were received, including a 55-signature petition counted as one - of which 113 were objections. Of those 43 per cent came from residents of Mt Ousley and 27 per cent from Bellambi.
In its response the terminal provides scope for a PKCT Driver's Code of Conduct, which will include designated haulage routes and noise minimisation controls.
But Ms Rhiannon said "an inordinate amount of faith" had been vested in the development of the code of conduct.
In its response the PKCT pointed to an IRIS Research telephone survey of 330 households, undertaken in early 2008 in which 59 per cent of respondents indicated medium levels of support for the changes.
"It is noted that 93 per cent of residents had not noticed any change in truck movements in the recent weeks during the trial period," the report states.
With Parliament not set to sit until March, Ms Rhiannon called on Minister for Illawarra David Campbell and his fellow Illawarra MPs to support a comprehensive public inquiry before any final decision was made.
Source: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/concerns-over-port-kembla-truck-plan/1409931.aspx#