NewsWhore
07-29-2009, 02:40 PM
The UN commission in charge of hearing the complaint on the construction of a cement factory in Los Haitises National Park says that their recommendations would be ready by the end of September. A court judgment ordered the suspension of construction works at the Monte Plata province site.
The commission will issue its decision based on the potential environmental damage the building and operation of the cement factory would have on the adjacent protected area. Valerie Julliand, United Nations Development Program representative in the DR, said that all the commission members are foreign officials with roots in other Latin American and Caribbean countries, and this would help ensure greater objectivity.
Colombian former Environment Minister Juan Mayr Maldonado is heading the mission. Environmental groups have questioned his participation in the light of his track record dealing with environmental and social issues in Colombia. Mayr is accused of favoring large corporations at the expense of indigenous communities in Colombia.
Although the commission will make a recommendation, whether it will be accepted by the Dominican courts and the government is a separate issue, says Julliand. Julliand acknowledged this, saying that the commission is not above the law.
Hoy reports that the cost of the evaluation is yet to be known. The Dominican government requested the evaluation of the environmental license granted by the Ministry of Environment and the location for the cement plant.
Hoy reports that during the first meetings with the commission held yesterday, there was tension in the air as representatives in favor and against the cement factory voiced their opinions.
UN commission is looking into ecological land use, the karst aquifers in the area, biodiversity, public health, and environmental, social and economic impacts, among other considerations.
The UNDP pledged objectivity, transparency and technical quality in the investigation.
As reported in Hoy, the mission met with the Academy of Sciences, which supplied all the studies that have been carried out on Los Haitises karst area.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
The commission will issue its decision based on the potential environmental damage the building and operation of the cement factory would have on the adjacent protected area. Valerie Julliand, United Nations Development Program representative in the DR, said that all the commission members are foreign officials with roots in other Latin American and Caribbean countries, and this would help ensure greater objectivity.
Colombian former Environment Minister Juan Mayr Maldonado is heading the mission. Environmental groups have questioned his participation in the light of his track record dealing with environmental and social issues in Colombia. Mayr is accused of favoring large corporations at the expense of indigenous communities in Colombia.
Although the commission will make a recommendation, whether it will be accepted by the Dominican courts and the government is a separate issue, says Julliand. Julliand acknowledged this, saying that the commission is not above the law.
Hoy reports that the cost of the evaluation is yet to be known. The Dominican government requested the evaluation of the environmental license granted by the Ministry of Environment and the location for the cement plant.
Hoy reports that during the first meetings with the commission held yesterday, there was tension in the air as representatives in favor and against the cement factory voiced their opinions.
UN commission is looking into ecological land use, the karst aquifers in the area, biodiversity, public health, and environmental, social and economic impacts, among other considerations.
The UNDP pledged objectivity, transparency and technical quality in the investigation.
As reported in Hoy, the mission met with the Academy of Sciences, which supplied all the studies that have been carried out on Los Haitises karst area.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)