PM okays industry permits

       Investment projects waiting in the pipeline worth almost 400 billion baht have been given the go-ahead for permit approval with the support of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, according to the Industry Ministry.
       However, new projects categorised as harmful need to wait for permit guidelines to be finalised, said Sorayud Petchtrakul, an adviser to the Industry Minister. The public-private partnership committee chaired by the premier agreed to follow the Council of State's advice that state agencies can give permits to investment projects with environmental impact assessments (EIA).
       Mr Abhisit is worried about halted investment projects left in the pipeline for too long, said Mr Sorayud.
       The Industrial Works Department has 13 projects worth 59.5 billion baht waiting in the pipeline, while the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has 23 projects worth 323 billion baht seeking construction and operation permits in its industrial estates in Rayong province.
       Ten of the projects before the Industrial Works Department are power plants, while those seeking permits through the IEAT include the steel,power plant and petrochemical sectors.PTT Aromatics' Euro4 diesel refinery is on the IEAT list.
       "Now that we have the nod from the PM, the permit approval process should start immediately," said Mr Sorayud.
       He added that operators who feared their permits would be against the Con-stitution should not worry as permit grantors are state agencies that exercise their authorities according to the PM's direction.
       However, Suthi Atchasai, leader of the People's Eastern Network, threatened that if the cabinet endorsed the public-private partnership committee's decision, his network would oppose the government for acting against the Constitution.
       He said the current Constitution took effect almost two years ago and the government has had sufficient time to form the guidelines but has neglected to do so. While the hurdles for EIAapproved projects are removed, new investment that falls onto the harmful list still needs to wait for guidelines to be formed that accommodate Section 67 of the Constitution.
       No timeframe has been set for these guidelines, but the Industry Ministry has finalised the list of industries classified as harmful to the environment and community. There are 15 categories on the list, which will be made public when Industry Minister Charnchai Chairungruang signs a ministerial announcement on Monday, Mr Sorayud said.
       He said the list would help investors prepare for additional environmental and health requirements.
       Industries on the list will include underground mines, zinc, manganese and tin mines, upstream and midstream petrochemicals, upstream steel projects,radioactivity production or management, hazardous waste management,commercial airports with at least 1.5 kilometres of runway, seaports capable of accommodating at least 10,000 tonnes gross of hazardous air pollutants, dams,irrigation projects, power plants, nuclear power plants and genetically modified activities.