Title: Mayors up to speed
Orginal link: http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21395901-3462,00.html
Author: PHILIPPA DUNCAN
Published date:March 17, 2007 12:00am
PREMIER Paul Lennon has told northern mayors an international search is on to find independent experts to assess the pulp mill. Mr Lennon met five mayors in Launceston yesterday, promising `appropriately qualified people` would be on the new assessment panel.[/b]


George Town Mayor Doug Burt said the mayors had wanted to stress how important the pulp mill was for Tasmania.

The mayors had also said they did not want a mill that did not meet the environmental standards.

"We want to make sure we put the case that it"s not a pulp mill at any cost," he said before the half-hour meeting.

Cr Burt emerged from the meeting "pretty comfortable" that the Tamar Valley mill would be properly assessed.

He said Mr Lennon had told them the 700-odd public submissions on the mill submitted to the Resource Planning and Development Commission would be considered.

"He said they would be taken across to the new process," Cr Burt said.

Mr Lennon had assured the mayors the transport and social impacts of the mill would be considered, as well as the environmental impact.

"Water, air and transport, they are the big three issues for people in the Tamar," he said.

"He"s keen, and so are we, to see if the mill can meet the guidelines.

"If it can"t meet the guidelines, it won"t get built."

Launceston Mayor Ivan Dean, West Tamar Mayor Barry Easther, Dorset Mayor Peter Partridge and Northern Midlands Mayor Kim Polley were also at the meeting.