TORONTO - The governing Liberals are taking a second look at plans for another natural gas-fired power plant in Grit territory ahead of the fall election.

The move to review approvals for a 280-megawatt gas plant west of Toronto comes just eight months after the government axed a similar project in another Liberal riding, sparking accusations of political meddling ahead of the Oct. 6 vote.

The New Democrats decried the decision Thursday as another attempt by the Liberals to save their political necks.

"This has got nothing to do with the environment," said NDP critic Howard Hampton. "This is Liberal cabinet ministers and former Liberal cabinet ministers who are worried about losing their seats."

Environment Minister John Wilkinson said the review has "nothing to do with politics."

"It has to do with ensuring that my ministry does what it's supposed to do, which is to protect human health," he said Thursday.

The province gave Eastern Power Ltd. the green light for the plant in 2008 after a three-year process. The company received a municipal building permit in May.

But local residents have been fighting the project, which is slated to be built near a large shopping mall, an ambulatory hospital and new condominiums.

Two prominent Liberals in nearby Etobicoke ridings -- former energy minister Donna Cansfield and Children and Youth Services Minister Laurel Broten -- have also voiced concerns about the project.

Broten said she has always been concerned about air quality in her Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding and "can appreciate" that the community has questions about the possible impact of the project.

"If the results indicate that the air quality or environment in this community will be compromised by the construction of the Greenfield South power plant, you can be assured that I will not support its construction," she said in a statement.

Cansfield, who was in cabinet when the project was approved, said it's too close to residential areas and poses air pollution and safety risks, in the same way a similar plant planned for Oakville created concerns and was cancelled by the Liberals last October.

At the time, opposition parties accused the Liberals of pulling the plug on the 975-megawatt Oakville plant because they realized it would cost them a seat in the upcoming election.

The government defended its decision, saying the affluent community west of Toronto no longer needed the power the plant would have generated.

Wilkinson said his ministry is reviewing the Mississauga project because the community has changed and the province needs to assess whether the plant will affect the air quality of condo residents.

Broten, who once held Wilkinson's portfolio, brought the matter to his attention, he said.

"I want to be able to reassure people that it is safe," he said. "But I don't want to pre-judge that because my ministry may come back and say the situation is substantially different."

The minister said he's not sure how long it will take to review the project. However, there's nothing stopping Eastern Power from starting construction while the review is underway.

Re-writing energy policy on the fly will hike hydro bills even further because ratepayers will be on the hook for any cancelled projects, Hampton said.