On Friday 29 June, 2012, the Environmental Protection Authority will decide the fate of James Price Point. But with 4 of the 5 board members excluding themselves from the decision due to conflicts of interest, one man, Chairman Dr. Paul Vogel will decide.
“On the final decision, which was the recommendation to the minister, I determined in early March that (the board members) were conflicted from participating in deliberation and decision making and therefore the final recommendation fell to me as the non-conflicted member,” Vogel said.
As reported in The Western Ausralian Newspapers, Mr Peter Robertson from The Wilderness Society said that given that the legal proponent for the project was the Premier as Minister for State Development "it is clearly concerning that the chair, however professional, is the ‘last man standing’ in such a highly politically charged decision".
The Minister for the Environment, Mr. Bill Marmion has reportedly declined to comment.
Shadow Environment Minister Sally Talbot said, “Marmion has allowed the EPA to press ahead with this knowing that the decision only being made by one person would call that decision into question."
How will Paul Vogel decide? This is going to be interesting. I guess we shall see.
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