DoE, not developers, should pay for EIA reports, says DAP MP
Yeo Bee Yin has called on the government to make detailed EIAs accessible to the public.
KUALA LUMPUR: An MP has called for the environment department (DoE) to pay consultants for a project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report instead of having developers do so.
Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Bakri), a former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister, said private developers are the ones who pay consultants to conduct EIAs for their projects and produce their assessment reports.
“Because of that, almost all, if not all EIA reports will say that these projects are feasible because consultants will provide views that are favourable to the developers paying them.
“Therefore, it is important that the DoE, not the developer, be the party that pays these (consultants) who conduct the EIA,” said Yeo when debating an amendment to the Environmental Quality Act, 1974.
Yeo proposed that the water and environment ministry use Section 51(1)(a) in the amended bill to compel developers that require EIA approvals to pay the DoE to look into their EIA reports and to approve or reject the project.
This payment, said Yeo, can then be used by the ministry to pay independent consultants or to hire more staff to conduct EIAs so that EIA reports submitted by developers can be evaluated in a more comprehensive manner.
She also urged the ministry to amend the EIA guidelines to make detailed EIAs accessible to the public, environmental NGOs, interest groups and elected representatives.
KUALA LUMPUR: An MP has called for the environment department (DoE) to pay consultants for a project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report instead of having developers do so.
Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Bakri), a former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister, said private developers are the ones who pay consultants to conduct EIAs for their projects and produce their assessment reports.
“Because of that, almost all, if not all EIA reports will say that these projects are feasible because consultants will provide views that are favourable to the developers paying them.
“Therefore, it is important that the DoE, not the developer, be the party that pays these (consultants) who conduct the EIA,” said Yeo when debating an amendment to the Environmental Quality Act, 1974.
Yeo proposed that the water and environment ministry use Section 51(1)(a) in the amended bill to compel developers that require EIA approvals to pay the DoE to look into their EIA reports and to approve or reject the project.
This payment, said Yeo, can then be used by the ministry to pay independent consultants or to hire more staff to conduct EIAs so that EIA reports submitted by developers can be evaluated in a more comprehensive manner.
She also urged the ministry to amend the EIA guidelines to make detailed EIAs accessible to the public, environmental NGOs, interest groups and elected representatives.
Actually, many countries have a good system.
ReplyDeleteThe EIA report itself is commissioned by the government , often by consultants accountable to the Dept of Environment.
The EIA Report is a public document , accessible by the public.
However, the Developer, which is the project proposer , and stands to profit from the project, has to fund the EIA. It amounts to an environmental tax on the project.