The draft terms of reference for the proposed plastics to fuels plant at Hume do not address the issue of whether the industry should be located in the ACT at all.
While the panel will go some way to looking at health impacts of pollution on local residents and the potential impact of disasters the panel is not being asked to look at whether this is a suitable long-term industry for the region.
The panel should be asked whether the ACT needs an industry proposing that up to 50 tonnes of plastic per day be imported into the ACT to be processed into fossil fuels and then for the ACT to manage the residues.
At a time when the ACT is supposed to be reducing emissions from the transport sector we are considering importing waste, then burning fossil fuels to generate heat to refine the plastic into more fossil fuels.
It is unsustainable to reduce future greenhouse emissions through the light rail system but then generate more emissions from imported waste.
See the Canberra Times article online ‘Panel appointed to Hume plastics to fuel factory inquiry‘.