Call to nominate members of air quality panel

• Published date: 16 May 2022
• Publication title: South African Official News

Members of the public have been invited to nominate suitable persons to serve on a panel for matters related to air quality.

This comes after the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, initiated a process to appoint an expert panel in terms of Section 3 of the National Environment Management Act that will advise her on appeals related to air quality matters presently being considered.

'The Minister is presently dealing with 10 appeals against the various decisions by the Department's National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) in relation to the requests for the suspension and postponement of compliance with the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) and the issuing of a provisional atmospheric emission licences (PAEL),' the department said on Friday.

While some of the appeals were granted, others were refused.

'The Minister had originally asked the Presidential Climate Commission to assist her in this regard. However, the Commission has indicated that their current workload and limited capacity, will not allow them to satisfactorily fulfil this assignment,' the department said.

The panel will assist in ensuring that all issues arising from the appeals can be addressed in a meaningful and resolute manner.

The panel will consist of a maximum of six experts appointed by the Minister, with qualifications in, and an extensive knowledge with respect to, air quality, human health, economics, engineering, energy and environmental management.

The Terms of Reference (ToRs) which have been developed, provide amongst others, a detailed background, objectives and functions of the Forum, work plan, timeframes, composition, deliverables and funding...