ON APRIL 10, the environment and forests ministry issued two notifications empowering state authorities to accord environmental clearance to power projects. After months of dithering, the ministry issued the notifications, contrary to the advice of environmental experts, a day before the H D Deve Gowda government lost its vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha. Environmentalists have been opposing the delegation of such powers to state authorities because they lack the necessary infrastructure to do proper assessments.

The category of thermal plants for which environmental clearance can be accorded by state governments include co-generation plants (which use agricultural by-products like bagasse as fuel), captive thermal plants of upto 250 mw capacity, coal-based plants of upto 500 mw capacity using fluidised bed technology, conventional coal-based power plants of upto 250 MW capacity and gas- or naptha-based plants of upto 500 mw capacity. The second notification makes public hearings mandatory before any project is granted environmental clearance.