THE EDITOR: In recent times, several comments have been made in the public arena about the Environmental Management Authority (EMA)'s Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC), including misinformation and lack of awareness of the process and its purpose. In this regard, the EMA seeks to provide clarity on issues raised in a recent letter to the editor by Dev Singh and, in general, the EMA's role in the ease of doing business as it relates to environmental permits.
The EMA received an application for a CEC on August 24, 2022, for the establishment of a fruit and vegetable crop farm on 6.1 hectares of land at Coryal. An acknowledgement and a request for further information (RFI) were issued by the EMA on September 7, 2022, well within the statutory timeline of ten working days as established in the CEC Rules, 2001. Based on the information submitted in the application, the applicant is in the process of acquiring ownership of the land.
The response to the RFI was received by the EMA on November 29, 2022, approximately two and a half months after the request was made. Given that the proposed site is heavily vegetated and in proximity to the Nariva Swamp (an environmentally sensitive area), a baseline assessment was required to determine suitable best management practices to allow for the development to occur in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The response from the applicant stated that "monkeys" were some of the fauna at the site. Also critical is that the applicant's baseline information was gathered from anecdotal information through speaking with residents in the area and not based on any scientific survey.
The Trinidad red howler and the white-fronted capuchin monkeys were recently designated as environmentally sensitive species (ESS) protected under the ESS Rules, 2001, which prohibits the taking, possession, hunting, disturbance, or trade of any ESS and the destruction of its habitat. Therefore, it is key for the assessment to determine whether these species are present within the project site.
The CEC process is one mechanism used by the EMA to regulate development and mitigate negative environmental impacts and is thus essential to sustainable development. Additionally, a CEC application is assessed based on the nature, scale and location of a proposed project. Contrary to the statements in the letter, TT's CEC process is not exhaustive. Comparative studies, both regionally and internationally, have revealed the following processing timelines for environmental permitting, once all information is adequately provided:
* TT - 40 working days where no environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required and 80 working days if an EIA is required.
* Jamaica - 90 days at a minimum, in keeping with strict adherence to spatial planning guidelines and laws, and longer where an EIA is required.
* Guyana - three months.
* New Zealand, ranked first in ease of doing business (EDB) - 30 working days if no EIA is required and 85 wo
