Published On:Monday, April 12, 2010

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Business Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

ONE of the lead signatories on the Wilson City Power Plant's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared for BEC, was found to have wrongfully used the professional designate "Environmental Engineer", Tribune Business can reveal.

KES Environmental Services employee (also doing business as Kalimantan Environmental Services), Crystal Robbins, who reviewed the EIA and conducted studies on the ground at the proposed site of the power plant, was found to be using a protected title under Florida law and should have signed the document as an "Environmental Consultant".

According to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE), Ms Robbins would only be eligible to use the title Environmental Engineer if she was a licensed professional engineer in the State of Florida.

However, because she has no professional designation with the FBPE, KES was issued a cease and desist order barring them from using the designate "Environmental Engineer" when referring to Crystal Robbins.

Investigator for the FBPE, Wendy Gregory, told Tribune Business yesterday that KES signed an affidavit advising that they would "no longer use the protected title when referring to Ms Robbins".

Ms Gregory confirmed, as Tribune Business reported earlier this year, that Ms Robbins is eligible to take the Fundamental of Engineering exam, but has not in Florida.

"Our records reflect that, in Florida, she never took the EI test," she said.

"KES was issued a cease and desist because they took responsibility for using the title Environmental Engineer.

"In Florida, Environmental Engineer is a protected title and may not be used unless that person is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Florida."

The citizen group Responsible Development for Abaco (RDA) filed a complaint against KES, after they discovered Ms Robbins' title might be a misnomer.

According to the RDA complaint, principal signatory, Crystal Robbins, appears on the Myfloridalicense.com website as an "engineering intern" who is "eligible for exam". Yet Ms Robbins appears on the cover page of the EIA as an "Environmental Engineer".

FBPE customer service representative, Nancy Wilkins confirmed recently that Ms Robbins was not registered with the FBPE, but had registered for the exam which would certify her to work in the state of Florida. She has, though, not sat that exam.

"She applied for the test, but was a no show," Ms Wilkins told Tribune business in January.

However, Mr Duvall said Ms Robbins was authorized to work as a professional engineer under her "Professional Geologist" qualification, in which capacity he said she worked on the Wilson City project.

Ms Robbins' designation on myfloridalicense.com does not specify Professional Geologist.

KES consultant, Michael Duvall, also told Tribune Business yesterday that his company was not aware that the Environmental Engineer was a protected term in Florida. Mr Duvall said he and Ms Robbins had known each other for ten years and worked together for several of them.

According to him, it is often not necessary post graduation, holding a Bachelors in science and engineering, to register with organizations like the FBPE. He said the erroneous designation was used simply because Ms Robbins had worked as a professional engineer for more than ten years and it was a "reflection of her degree".

Tribune Business also found earlier this year that KES Environmental Services' (doing business as Kalimantan Environmental Services) business license was "in process" in the state of Florida and may have been when services were rendered to the government. Now, the company's primary registered name on myfloridalicense.com is Kalimantan Environmental Services.

However, Mr Duvall said the company is still also doing business as KES Environmental Services.

This paper was told by government officials that the Bahamas Environmental Science and Technology (BEST) Commission was responsible for vetting and approving the company that would conduct the EIA. Calls to the Director of BEST, Philip Weech, were not returned up to press time.

RDA has been railing against the construction of the Wilson City power plant, claiming the government did not do its due diligence in choosing the site for the build, being transparent with the Abaco community and in choosing a company to conduct the EIA.

The group found several inconsistencies within the EIA, including Ms Robbins erroneous designation. They also contend that the power plant is not seven miles away from the nearest settlement as the EIA insists and that it is not two miles from the sea (which harbours a National Marine Park, Pelican Land and Sea Park), but less than one quarter mile away.

RDA had KES's EIA reviewed by a private company which cited several possible inconsistencies, one of the most daunting being: "The documents fail to include sufficient assessments of possible impacts on the surrounding areas. For example, the potential impact on the adjacent wetland area is only addressed superficially."

The EIA is available for public review on the BEST commission's website.

The Government/Bahamas Electricity Corporation has been mandated by court order to engage in conversations with the RDA and listen to their requests, according to RDA official Clint Kemp.

Government insists that the construction of the power plant is necessary for the growth of Abaco, and RDA agrees. However, RDA, whose membership is primarily residents of Abaco, say they simply want to go about building it in the right way.

Work on the power plant, which is scheduled to be completed by summer, was halted last year after it was found that certain permits were not in place for the structure.

Minister of the Environment, Earl Deveaux, said then, that it was not uncommon for government departments and utilities to commence developments before all the necessary permits were approved. Meanwhile private developers are forced to go through the correct channels.