Commission disclaims ‘rallying’ role

Press, 7 August 1982, Page 12

Commission disclaims ‘rallying’ role

PA Wellington The Commission • for the Environment has disclaimed its role as a rallying point for opposition to specific projects. In its annual report to Parliament, the commission said its real job was to identify ways to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of projects and policies. The .commission said it was careful in its study of public submissions not to interpret its audit of projects as a form of public opinion survey. “Even if all those making submissions have a clear position against a project, the commission's job is not to draw up a scorecard,” it said.

"The commission’s public role is sometimes seen as a rallying point for opposition to a given project or a given policy. This is not the case.” An analysis of the public submissions received by the commission also raised the definition of “environmentalist.” the report said. In practice, submissions came from a widely representative group of citizens with genuine concern for features of the environment they value, and from public institutions with statutory or other responsibilities. “These submissions often contain valuable knowledge about the microenvironment of a project, which could assist the decision-maker to choose the best engineering or design option," the report said.