Power play

ON APRIL 10, the environment and
forests ministry issued two notifications
empowering state authorities to accord
environmental clearance to power projects. After months of dithering, the
ministry issued the notifications, contrary to the advice of environmental
experts, a day before the H D Deve
Gowda government lost its vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha. Environmentalists have been opposing the delegation of such powers to state authorities
because they lack the necessary infrastructure to do proper assessments.

The category of thermal plants for
which environmental clearance can
be accorded by state governments
include co-generation plants (which use
agricultural by-products like bagasse as
fuel), captive thermal plants of upto 250
mw capacity, coal-based plants of upto
500 mw capacity using fluidised bed
technology, conventional coal-based
power plants of upto 250 MW capacity
and gas- or naptha-based plants of upto
500 mw capacity. The second notification makes public hearings mandatory
before any project is granted environmental clearance.