We imagine, however, that East End MLA Arden McLean was anything but pleased when he learned from the newspaper about the PPM government’s proposition to place an assemblage of fuel tanks within his district — without even paying him the courtesy of informing him.
Perhaps more than any other elected member of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. McLean seems to believe that his district — East End — is his. He takes these things personally and recently was aptly referred to as the “Emperor of East End.”
Whether gatekeeper or emperor, anyone wishing to pursue an activity or project that will significantly impact his district would be well advised to keep Mr. McLean, and by extension the East End residents who continue to vote him into office, well informed.
As Compass readers will recall, the last time someone suggested putting a fuel terminal in East End (as part of developer Joe Imparato’s grand vision for a deep-water seaport), the idea was met with vehement vocal opposition from East Enders, hundreds of whom rallied against the plan in June 2011 at an event whose speakers included Mr. McLean and then-Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin, who went on to become our sitting premier.
Mr. McLean has a lot of questions about the PPM government’s plans for his district and the fuel terminal project that have not been answered by the three-page “joint development agreement” between the government and Texas-based Navasota Clean Energy LLC. The agreement was signed in April but not made public until recently through an open records request lodged by the Compass.
We’ve got questions, too, primarily: What on earth is government thinking?
Admittedly, this Editorial Board knows little about the merits, drawbacks, risks or rewards of shuttering the Jackson Point fuel terminal off South Church Street in favor of a new facility in East End. The economic and engineering implications are beyond our scope of expertise — but we’re researching and learning.
What we do know about, however, is communications. And this may be the most botched launch of a new venture since New Coke.
East Enders — aided by independent and PPM lawmakers — effectively killed the seaport project out of purported concerns for negative impacts on the environment and social aspects of the community.
Since then, Mr. Imparato — being an agile and able entrepreneur — abandoned his seaport project and instead embraced Health City Cayman Islands. Meanwhile, as one of the first definitive actions of its new administration, the PPM government passed a National Conservation Law that is designed to protect native creatures and their habitats from the destruction that often accompanies just these kind of projects.
This Editorial Board, readers may remember, vigorously opposed the National Conservation law — even the heavily amended and “watered down” version that passed.
But the law is the law, and we will be watching to see how the government reconciles its conservation legislation with the path of fuel lines that are likely to require the forcible eviction of iguanas, lizards, bugs and other protected members of nature’s kingdom.
We don’t want to leave the impression that we oppose a plan that, frankly, no one (including ourselves) has seen.
Our concern at this early stage is based not so much on the merits of the project but that government’s modus operandi too often appears to be “do it, hide it, get caught, and proceed to implement damage control.”
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As a resident of east end and family between my home and George Town. We worry about the lizards and the bees, what about human lives? Would like to hear more of this initiative by our educated ppm government.