typing is not activism….

Word is just starting to come from Tasmania of a citizen’s movement over the pulp mill which Gunns are planning to begin building in January 2008. More news is expected to come out later today, but at this stage there is a core of 200 residents supporting the action with more likely to join should initial considerations move toward a definite legal action.

At this stage, residents are compiling a list of potential litigants – people whose health, livelihood, business, lifestyles, property values, and futures are likely to be negatively impacted by the mill.

Organizers are making comparisons to the James Hardy asbestos damages case, but with the qualification that

“Unlike James Hardie, Gunns and their shareholders and potential financiers of the pulp mill know full well the health hazards, issues of public safety and the potential for loss of property values. They are also fully aware of the risks that the mill poses to businesses such as tourism, vineyards, horticulture, farming and the service industries to these businesses. They are fully aware of the health dangers of the dioxins they are planning to dump into Bass Strait and the threat to our fisheries”.

For breaking news, check out TAP. This post will be updated later today following a public meeting in Launceston.