12
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 1983
+HERE OPERATORS PROCEED UNFETTERED UNLESS THEY ARE CAUSING A NUISANCE TO PEOPLE ROUND ABOUT. IF THIS HAPPENS THEY ARE SHOWN HOW TO REDUCE THE NUISANCE AND, WHEN NECESSARY, THERE ARE POWERS TO REQUIRE OPERATORS TO PUT THINGS RIGHT, MR BRAY EXPLAINED.
HE WAS HAPPY WITH THE AMENDMENTS PROPOSED BY THE HON SEL INA CHOW ON THE PROVISIONS DEALING WITH THE POTENTIALLY VERY. POLLUTING ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED AS SPECIFIED PROCESSES.
BUT, HE ADDED, THE PRINCIPAL CHANGE OF SUBSTANCE HAD BEEN PROPOSED BY THE HON WONG PO-YAN.
+THE ORIGINAL BILL PROVIDED THAT SPECIFIED PROCESSES SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL. THERE NEVER WAS ANY QUESTION THAT THE LIST WOULD BE KEPT SECRET OR UNKNOWN TO SMALL INDUSTRIALISTS AS MR WONG SUGGESTED, BUT THE LIST COULD HAVE BEEN ADDED TO WITHOUT FORMAL PUBLIC DEBATE,+ MR BRAY SAID.
HE ADDED THAT BY PUTTING THE LIST IN A SCHEDULE TO THE BILL, AND PROVIDING THAT AMENDMENTS TO THE SCHEDULE WOULD REQUIRE A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL, THE ADDITION OF NEW PROCESSES WOULD ONLY FOLLOW AFTER DUE PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND DEBATE.
THIS, HE SAID, WAS AN IMPROVEMENT.
ANSWERING MR WONG'S AND THE HON S.L. CHEN'S SUGGESTION THAT REALISTIC ACCOUNT BE TAKEN OF THE FACTS OF INDUSTRIAL LIFE IN FIXING AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES, MR BRAY POINTED TO THE TWO LARGE POWER STATIONS.
THEY, WITH EXCELLENT CONTROLS OVER AIR POLLUTION, HAVE BEEN BUILT ON SITES CHOSEN PRECISELY BECAUSE POWER GENERATION WAS BOUND TO GENERATE SOME POLLUTION AND SHOULD BE KEPT AWAY FROM WHERE PEOPLE LIVED, HE EXPLAINED.
+ IF A POINT IS REACHED AT WHICH AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES ARE ENDANGERED THEN AS NEW SPECIFIED PROCESSES ARE PROPOSED SPECIAL CARE OVER SITING AND LICENCE CONDITIONS COULD STILL MAKE THEM ACCEPTABLE, HE SAID,
MR BRAY FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT MR CHEN'S SECOND POINT CONCERNING THE NEED TO INSPECT PLANS OF PLANTS INVOLVED IN SPECIFIC PROCESSES.
TO EXERCISE PROPER CONTROL IN A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY, HE SAID, THE AUTHORITY'S OFFICERS PLAINLY NEEDED ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND, THE DANGER THAT THEY MIGHT BE ENCOURAGED TO DIVULGE THIS WOULD BE HEAVILY COUNTERED BY PENALTIES UNDER CLAUSE 41.
+THIS IS THE ONLY CLAUSE IN THIS BILL UNDER WHICH SOMEONE CAN BE SENT TO PRISON: A PENALTY NOT TO BE INFLICTED EVEN UPON SOMEONE WHO IS POISONING THE ATMOSPHERE AND ONE WHICH WOULD CERTAINLY END AN OFFICER'S CAREER, HE EXPLAINED.
ON AIR POLLUTION NUISANCES, MR BRAY SAID WHAT DID CAUSE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT WAS THE COMPARATIVELY MINOR EXTENSION OF CONTROL PROCEDURES THAT HAVE OPERATED FOR OVER 20 YEARS WITHOUT GENERATING EITHER A CORRUPT OR OPPRESSIVE BUREAUCRACY NOR ANY BODY OF PROTEST.
HE EXPLAINED