RAP TO FIGHT FOR 10 LOCAL COUNCILS

Representatives of 10 Town and Parish Councils packed a meeting last night at Cranage Village Hall, to endorse RAP as their spokesman to present the case against the Byley Gas plant, to Cheshire County Council's Development Regulatory Committee on 16th October at County Hall. After an address by John Halstead, RAP Chairman, expressing his thanks for the support from so many Councils, John Oakley, one of RAP's technical specialists, gave the presentation that will be given on October 16th. Frank Walton, Clerk of Cranage Parish Council commented: "We were all deeply impressed. This is a 'killer' case against the gas plant, and the best thing is that it's all based on technical detail, and carefully reasoned argument"

Latest information from Cheshire County Council, is that a total of 8 people, from RAP and the local Councils, may attend the Development Regulatory Committee, facing 8 from Scottish Power/Ineos Chlor. John Edwards, RAP's press spokesman, added, "We're not arrogant, because we know that the County Council will judge this case on the facts, but frankly we're deeply unimpressed with what we've seen of Scottish Power's arguments so far, and we're really looking forward to October 16th." The full list of Councils who have chosen RAP as their Champion is: Allostock Parish Council Byley Parish Meeting Cranage Parish Council, Goostrey Parish Council Holmes Chapel Parish Council Knutsford Town Council Middlewich Town Council Sandbach Town Council Somerford Parish Council Sproston Parish Council John Edwards & Frank Walton Tel:

MORE SPIN FROM THE TWINS (the gas plant twins!)

MORE SPIN FROM THE TWINS

Fresh from their backfired attempt to get their own employees to write "impartial" letters supporting the Byley gas plant, the "Gas Plant Twins" have tried again. This time Scottish Power has written to local companies seeking support for the Byley gas plant, on the basis of pie-in-the-sky "promises" of juicy contracts if the project goes ahead. Scottish Power's letter dangles the bait that their policy is to use "local labour and contractors wherever possible" a nice get-out clause, since a massive contract to build the gas plant's three giant compressors has just been awarded to the US company General Electric - about as far from "local labour" as could possibly be.

RAP Chairman John Halstead commented: "Scottish Power ran a 'business forum' attracting local companies looking for contracts, and got them to register their names so they can be used as cannon-fodder, expected to write to County Hall in support of the gas plant! It's typical spin, since the fact is that all the big business will go to specialist contractors way beyond Cheshire." Meanwhile the latest count of genuine letters protesting against the gas plant has topped 8,000 reflecting the will of a community united in opposition to Scottish Power's proposals. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer

Dodgy going on in the cheshire gas plant plan

HEADLESS CHICKEN SHOOTS ITSELF IN FOOT

Scottish Power and its partner Ineos Chlor - "The Gas Plant Twins" - are so frightened by the massive flood of letters from the public, sent to Cheshire County Council opposing the planned Byley gas plant, that Ineos Chlor has shot itself in the foot by attempting to lever its employees into sending letters supporting the gas plant, and sending them from their home addresses as if they were impartial, rather than employees whose company would profit vastly from the gas plant.

An e-mail from Ineos Chlor to all North West employees, gives a standard letter, plus the technical refinement of a button to be "clicked" by employees enabling Ineos Chlor to know precisely who's been good and sent the letter - and who's been bad and not sent it! Said RAP member Dr Jamie Atherton, a retired local GP: "This is typical of the murky spin we've come to expect from the Gas Plant Twins. They're frightened now and they should be! RAP is regularly delivering 'no gas plant' letters to County Hall to save the cost of postage, and on one day alone: Tuesday 25th September, we took nearly 1,200 letters, with more arriving every day, and that's on top of the 5,000 already sent, and every one of them genuinely from worried members of the public." RAP Chairman, John Halstead added: "It's pretty dim to ask employees to send a standard letter. It was bound to get found out, and it has been found out, and it's further evidence of the ineptitude of Scottish Power and Ineos Chlor. And these are the people asking us to trust their competence to run a dangerous technology that's never before been placed among centres of population!" Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer

NO GAS PLANT! THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF GAS!

NO GAS PLANT! THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF GAS!

Cranage Conference Centre 7.30 pm Friday 14th September

Before opening RAP's biggest-ever meeting, in the state-of-the-art Cranage Conference Centre, RAP Chairman John Halstead, called for a minute's silence in respect of the dead in New York and Washington, following September 11th's terrorist outrages. John asked a packed meeting to remember too, that Byley Airfield - proposed site of Scottish Power's gas plant - was once an air base manned by young American servicemen, some of whom died defending our country.

John then reminded the audience of two key dates: September 16th when the Development Planning Committee of Cheshire County Council will receive a presentation against the gas plant, from RAP, and September 23rd when the Council will decide on Scottish Power's planning application. John stressed the unique and far-sighted nature of the Council's decision to hear RAP's case, as an example of local democracy in action.

Later John Oakley, a highly-qualified engineer, and one of RAP's team of technical experts, presented an outline of the case against the gas plant, in a high-tech, brilliantly-illustrated lecture based on computer graphics. The biggest surprise of the evening was that the gas plant is not even needed, as there is no national shortage of gas. Next - and to considerable laughter - Dr John Edwards, RAP's Press and Media Spokesman, joked about the clumsy inefficiency of Scottish Power's PR campaign, promising that RAP will do to Scottish Power, what David did to Goliath. He urged the audience to continue the vital work of writing to County Councillors, and still more important, to turn out in massive numbers for a responsible, dignified protest outside County Hall Chester on September 23rd.

After a lively question and answer session, the meeting closed to loud applause and a fixed determination to stop the gas plant. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer

Biggest Meeting Yet Against the Cheshire Gas Plant:

Cranage Conference Centre 7.30 pm Friday 14th September

RAP is inviting MPs, local councillors, other VIPs, and representatives of the Emergency services to attend a major protest meeting against Scottish Power's gas plant. Thousands of leaflets will be delivered to homes in Knutsford, Congleton, Goostrey, Holmes Chapel, Northwich, Middlewich, Winsford and Byley and elsewhere, to ensure the biggest turnout yet of people dedicated to stopping a project which has roused a unique level of anger and opposition. John Halstead, Chairman of RAP commented: "Cranage Conference Centre have made available their biggest hall and we confidently expect to fill it, as we have previously filled every hall where a gas plant protest has been held. Indeed, our only fear is that we might not get everybody in. But we're pulling out all the stops on this one, and we expect a lively meeting!"

The aim of the meeting is to brief the public on latest events, including Scottish Power's clumsy attempt to win support from local businesses by dangling the possibility of lucrative contracts - a transparently obvious piece of spin since gas plant contracts would go mainly to specialist suppliers outside Cheshire or the UK. This contrasts with Cheshire County Council's excellent decision to allow RAP to present its case direct to them (a meeting currently scheduled for October 16th). Finally, the meeting aims to prepare for an even bigger turnout of protestors outside County Hall on October 23rd, when the Council make their decision on Scottish Power's planning application. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer

There's No Such thing as "SAFE" Three Deaths at Enron's Teeside Power Station

There's No Such thing as "SAFE" Three Deaths at Enron's Teeside Power Station

Three tragic deaths followed a shattering explosion at the gas-turbine-drivenTeeside Power station on August 8, despite the fact that this is a state-of-the-art plant working to best HSE standards, and given the Gold Award for Occupational Health and Safety by the Royal Society for the Prevention of accidents.

Tim Underdown, chief executive of Enron, the American owners of the plant, could give no explanation for the cause of the explosion, though detailed studies are underway, by Enron itself, as well as by HSE the Police and the Fire service. The fact is that there is no such thing as 100% safety where industrial plants are concerned, even when they are operated by top-class companies doing their utmost to eliminate risk, under conditions reviewed by statutory bodies. The lesson is obvious regarding Scottish Power's plans to build a gas plant at Byley in Cheshire, featuring gas-turbine-driven compressors - and that is to stop the gas plant before the accidents can happen. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer

Deaths and Injuries at Buchan's if Gas Plant Blows

Deaths and Injuries at Buchan's if Gas Plant Blows

Neither Manweb's owner, Scottish Power, nor the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have bothered to inform the 150 staff at Buchan's Concrete works, King's Lane, Byley that their lives are at risk if Scottish Power's planned Gas Plant blows up. Some 5% of Buchan's staff could be killed, according to an HSE report prepared following planning applications put in by Scottish Power. Using standardised techniques including computer simulations, HSE have assessed various risk scenarios for the Gas Processing Plant at Byley including a major explosion - which HSE predict would kill 50% of all employees on the processing site and 1-5% of personnel at Buchan's works with further severe injuries and collateral damage.

It may come as news to Buchan's staff that a major multi-national company plans to put a possible disaster right next door, and that the risk of their deaths has been calmly calculated by a Government-appointed body without mentioning it to them. Is this the price to be paid by a rural community for the benefit of Scottish Power's shareholders? Perhaps not as both Congleton and Vale Royal Borough Councils have formally advised Cheshire County Council to say "no" to the planning applications when a decision is made on September 11th or later. Dr John Edwards, Press and Media Officer,