The National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) wishes to advise the general public that subsequent to several sessions to diligently review the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the Macal River Upstream Storage Facility (MRUSF), a decision was made on Friday, November 9^th, 2001 to grant environmental clearance for the project to proceed. The NEAC is satisfied that the benefits of the MRUSF project outweigh the environmental costs and that most of the adverse effects can be mitigated and/or managed through the implementation of a sound environmental compliance plan.

    This clearance is conditional upon the development and signing of the Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP), which would incorporate the mitigation measures identified in the EIA in addition to those recommended during the evaluation process. The development of the ECP has already begun with the input of all members of NEAC and will specify the detailed mitigation measures, time frame and budget associated with their implementation.

    Public hearings are being planned where the information presented in the EIA and the decisions made by NEAC, including the conditions upon which clearance is being granted, will be made available to the general public.