Senator on protected areas revision

[NewsWhore]

The ongoing drama regarding the turning over of protected area beach lands for resort development continues. After Environmental Minister Max Puig named Senator Ruben Dario Cruz (PLD Hato Mayor), president of the Senate Environment Commission, as holding meetings to change protected area limitations, Cruz admitted that two meetings have taken place between legislators to discuss changes to the Sectorial Protected Areas Law. Cruz added that other senators, including Charlie Mariotti (PLD Monte Plata) had also attended the meetings, as well as Environment deputy minister Daneris Santana. He said that environmental consultant Bolivar Troncoso was one of the participants and described him as his "honorary adviser" on the matter. Colonel Rosanna Pons of the Military Cartography Institute was present at the second meeting. Cruz, however, says that the modifications to the protected areas laws have nothing to do with Puig's recent accusations and continued by saying that legislators are only trying to correct the "mutilations" that have been made in the recent past. Cruz says that the senators are moving forward towards modifying the law because "Puig hasn't had the courage to do it." Cruz says that he is in favor of modifying the law, which he says was created under illegal pretenses and says that the process should take place in a transparent and democratic way. Cruz claims that in 2004, when the lands were being protected, legislators were being paid 30% for those lands and that since those lands are public there is no way that those transactions could be legal.

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