Difficulty finding a consultant?

Two of the main contenders for the pulpmill assessment job haven't applied for it. BECA Amec and AF Consulting have turned down the opportunity. They no doubt have their stated reasons, (see also the Mercury story and the one in the Examiner) but quite frankly, this one's a potential minefield for a consultant who cares about their reputation. Our government has shown that it will stop at nothing to approve this mill, and attempt to trash the reputation of anyone who gets in their way. What room might there be for a consultant to submit a report that recommends the mill NOT proceed? The Greens provided part of the wording of the consultants brief, showing how open to abuse of process this could be if the managers of the consultancy within government or the public service demand certain approaches from the consultant. This is a good "opportunity" for these consultants to be too busy doing something else.