July 11th, 2012:

Granted Projects Emailing: 11-12

Jul 11th, 2012

From: pc22@epd.gov.hk [mailto:pc22@epd.gov.hk] On Behalf Of eeca@epd.gov.hk
Sent: 11 July, 2012 12:14
To: dynamco@netvigator.com
Subject: Granted Projects Emailing: 11-12
Dear Mr Middleton,

I refer to your email of 18 June 2012.

The information provided by applicants of ECF is for vetting of projects by the relevant vetting subcommittee (budget within $2 million) and the ECF Committee (budget over $2 million). Under the existing practice, only for projects of larger scale (i.e. with budget over $2 million) that are submitted to the ECF Committee will the relevant meeting document be uploaded to the ECF website.

The approved budget for the project “Islands Waste Reduction Plan” is about $1.6 million and so was considered by the Environmental Education and Community Action Projects Vetting Subcommittee. Budget detials of applications are only provided to the vetting subcommittee for vetting purpose and would not be disclosed to third parties under the prevailing practice. As requested in your email, please find enclosed a summary of the project “Islands Waste Reduction Plan” for your information.

Yours sincerely,
ECF Secretariat

“James Middleton” <dynamco@netvigator.com>

18/06/2012 08:40

To	<ecc@epd.gov.hk>
cc
Subject	Granted Projects Emailing: 11-12

Dear Sir,

We are able to find the detailed funding proposal for the Lohas / Cheung Chau project as attached.

However we cannot find any like detailed funding proposal breakdown for the Islands Waste Reduction Plan shown below.

Please send us a copy of the funding request breakdown or the link to same.

Kind regards,

James Middleton

Chairman

www.cleartheair.org.hk

ecc@epd.gov.hk

http://eeca.ecc.org.hk/english/projects/2011-12.html

23.	Tai Po Environmental Association Limited	LOHAS Cheung Chau	$9,992,520.00
24.	Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs)	TWGHs To Move Towards A Green Organization – Green Education and Publicity Programmes for TWGHs Staff, Service Recipients and Public	$249,000.00
25.	Think For Union	The Green Life Journey	$382,700.00
26.	Hong Kong Islands District Association	Islands Waste Reduction Plan	$1,607,648.00

Env and Conserv Fund minutes inc LOHAS Cheung Chau

ECF_Paper_35_2011-12

Latest Project Status of 1323_3.7.2012

Ex-pilot casts doubt over proposed third runway

Jul 11th, 2012

by Editor.

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Thomas Chan SCMP www.scmp.com

Jul 11, 2012

A former pilot has questioned the effectiveness of a proposed third runway at Chek Lap Kok in increasing the number of flights able to land and depart.

The Airport Authority says the new runway, which is opposed by environmentalists, will increase hourly aircraft movements to 102 from 68, relieving congestion as passenger and freight traffic grows.

But Jan Bochenski, a Cathay Pacific (SEHK: 0293) pilot for 21 years, cast doubt on the claims. He identified the escape routes – the paths used by planes when a landing is aborted – as a significant restraint on the airport’s plans.

“It’s impossible for the government to achieve this number [of flights],” he said. “The three runways could not be run independently because the planes could not take off or land at any time.”

Pilots aborting a landing must make a U-turn off either Ma Wan or Tai O and head back out over the South China Sea to queue up to land again. Only one plane can use the escape route at a time, and Bochenskisays geographical constraints make it difficult to plot a new escape route specifically for the use of the third runway as two mountains – Castle Peak and Tai Mo Shan – stand to the northeast of the airport.

A spokesman for the Airport Authority said the projected figures were based on the location of the third runway – which was chosen in accordance with standards set down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, while the Civil Aviation Department said routes for arrivals and landings were in accordance with international standards.

But Bochenski said extra runways did not necessarily mean fewer delays, pointing to the example of the crowded skies over Shanghai.

“Shanghai has two airports with three runways each and without terrain problems, and they have the worst delays in the world,” he said.

Plans for the new runway came under fire from former Observatory chief Lam Chiu-ying, an environmental adviser to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s election campaign. He says the amount of land which would be reclaimed could be greatly reduced by making better use of land between the two existing runways.

thomas.chan@scmp.com

Jan Bochenski says extra runways do not necessarily mean fewer delays, pointing to the crowded skies over Shanghai.

Mountain fear raised on third runway plan

Hong Kong Standard Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A veteran pilot doubts whether government planners can get on top of mountainous challenges to a third runway at Hong Kong International Airport.

Retired Cathay Pacific senior first officer Jan Bochenski, with 21 years of flying experience, said he and many other pilots fail to see a way around problems unless there is a mountain-cutting plan.

The 957-meter Tai Mo Shan, the highest mountain in the territory, is in the middle of the flight path to the proposed third runway, Bochenski said, and pilots about to land will need to bank aircraft at a sharp angle.

But a towering concern, he said, is Castle Peak at 583m being in the middle of a third runway’s essential escape route if something went wrong on landing.

He asked: “Is the government planning to cut down Castle Peak? Maybe.” But how could a pilot face such high ground if a plane lost an engine? This, he said, would be “impossible.”

Even if all engines were functioning, Bochenski added, aircraft need considerable power to clear mountains.

He also said that if aircraft were to try to avoid facing Castle Peak this would crowd airspace occupied by those using the other two runways.

The Airport Authority has already discussed routes linked to a third runway with Britain’s National Air Traffic Services.

An authority spokesman also said there would be enough “obstacle clearance” to meet requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization. PHILA SIU

http://thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=124240&sid=36990408&con_type=1&d_str=20120711&fc=4

City scores lower in integrity stakes

Jul 11th, 2012

by Editor.

No comments yet

SCMP

Jennifer Ngo
Jul 11, 2012

Hong Kong is no longer in the top 10 Chinese cities for government integrity a year after topping a researchorganisation’s rankings, with a failure to tackle society’s problems blamed.

The China Institute of City Competitiveness’s annual survey ranks cities and provinces according to 27 criteria, but its latest list, released at Baptist University yesterday, saw Weihai , in eastern Shandong , come top in the integrity stakes.

“There were a lot of negative reports on the Hong Kong government in the past two years, which has affected its ratings,” said Gui Qiangfang, the organisation’s president. The 10th annual rankings include ratings for growth potential, liveability, innovation, environment and the economy. Economic development, social development and culture were also taken into consideration.

Hong Kong ranked second for integrated competitiveness, taking in most of the criteria, with Guangdong at the top. Taiwan dropped to fourth after topping the list last year. Shanghai and Beijing were ranked seventh and ninth respectively.

Gui said Hong Kong missed top spot because it was far smaller than its neighbouring province, which takes in big cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and because of the rapid growth of mainland cities.

“Hong Kong is still undoubtedly the most competitive city [in China]. But in terms of growth, mainland cities have been taking big economic leaps,” he said.

Hong Kong also missed out on the top 10 for innovation and liveability, and dropped from 10th to 13th for growth potential.

“Hong Kong has [the] potential to become a very innovative city. There is good research in the universities here, but not much of it was actually developed and used,” Gui said.

Gui said Hong Kong needs to encourage creative industries and should create room for development of industries other than finance.

The research was compiled in association with Baptist University’s Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies, which has come under fire for producing a handbook for the controversial national education curriculum which critics say is heavily biased towards the mainland.

Ranked No 2 in the integrity list is Ordos, located in Inner Mongolia, while Yantai , a city in northeastern Shandong, is third. The rundown from fourth to tenth is: Nanjing , Dalian , Siping in Jilin province, Harbin ,Zhuzhou in Hunan , Tangshan in Hebei, and Xinxiang in Henan.

jennifer.ngo@scmp.com

Mountain fear raised on third runway plan