Developers of a controversial plan to construct an over-the-reef pipeline on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands are working to address public concerns about the environmental impact of the proposal.
The Cook Islands News reports that a foreign company, Petrocean, is hoping to construct a fuel tanker mooring and pipeline which would discharge petroleum products, including jet fuel, for Rarotonga.
It says the proposal could lower fuel costs associated with bulk delivery and handling of fuel as a tanker that routinely passes the country en route to Tahiti could potentially stop to deliver fuel to the local market.
The advisory and compliance manager for the National Environmental Service, Vavia Tangatataia, says Petrocean is working through 26 submissions on its Environmental Impact Assessment report.
The report listed a number of concerns such as the visual impact to the area during construction, damage to flora and short-term changes to lagoon water caused by the movement of sand and debris.
