South Island Resource Recovery Limited’s (SIRRL) Project Kea is one of 149 projects included in the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill.
If the Bill is passed into law, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and a specialist panel would oversee the rest of the process.
Waimate deputy mayor Sharyn Cain said at a Lower Waitaki South Coastal Canterbury Zone Committee meeting on Wednesday that under the current draft Bill, there was a provision that would exclude public consultation.
"If the Fast-track Approvals Bill goes through unchanged and that provision is in there ... that will basically mean council will have 10 days to have some say [but] the public will not and there’s not a lot we can do about it.
"We feel horrific at council because the point of calling it in and going through the environmental court was that our community would get a chance to submit and [have their] say."
She would be "incredibly disappointed and disheartened" if the public did not get the opportunity to submit on the project.
"To me it’s just not right.
"I am vehemently opposed to taking away the public’s ability to submit on something of this nature, because it’s not fair."
SIRRL director Paul Taylor was pleased Project Kea was included in the Bill.
However, Why Waste Waimate spokesman Robert Ireland said no new information was presented at the second visit.
"In March 2023, they returned to Waimate for more information sessions but they basically had no more information than what they came with in September 2021.
"They gave us more questions than answers."
He was "thoroughly disappointed" the project was on the Bill.
"This is the worst thing you could’ve fast-tracked.
"The people of Waimate feel cheated. Cheated that we’re not going to get our day in court."
A select committee was deliberating the Bill and they would decide whether the provision would stay, Waitaki MP Miles Anderson said.
"We’ll just have to wait and see."
While the environmental impacts of the plant were "debatable", there was a need for more electricity generated, he said.
"This winter has proven that we’ve fallen behind in our generation ability."
Since New Zealand does not have a waste-to-energy plant, he expected the panel would use overseas data.
Mr Anderson stressed that the various consents were still all needed, the only difference was they would all be assessed at once.
"Just because it’s on the list doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to [be approved]. It’s still got a number of hurdles to get over before it can progress."
