South China Morning Post
March 24, 2002

‘We are wondering which part of the [Nu River EIA] report constitutes a state secret,’ said Wang Yongchen of the Beijing-based Green Earth Volunteers. She said officials should explain why they refused to make public the project’s impacts.

A mainland environmental group yesterday questioned a report by a pro-Beijing newspaper that the long-awaited green assessment of a controversial hydropower project on the Nu River is complete. Quoting an unspecified source, Wen Wei Po said the green review, required by the mainland’s environmental impact assessment law, supported a scaled-down version of the Yunnan project. Considering the river’s planning and the protection of its ecological system, the current stage of the Nu River power project should start with the building of four dams, the newspaper said quoting the government-led review. The source said the pilot proposal of building four dams on the Nu River had managed to avoid areas which were disputed most for potential environmental damage and the relocation of local residents, largely ethnic minorities. But the original proposal of 13 dams had not been completely ruled out, said the source, adding that more study was needed. However, the review, which was now subject to an approval by the National Development and Reform Commission, would not be made public due to national security reasons, the report said. Environmentalists were disappointed at the news. They have been fighting for the release of the report as well as the holding of public hearings on the project since Premier Wen Jiabao halted the controversial project in February 2004. "We are wondering which part of the report constitutes a state secret," said Wang Yongchen, of the Beijing-based Green Earth Volunteers. She said officials should explain why they refused to make public the project’s impact.