Dumas wrong says Environmental Commission

HIGH LEVEL sources at the Environmental Commission of Trinidad and Tobago yesterday lashed out at Public Utilities and the Environment Minister Rennie Dumas’ glaring faux pas that members of the current Commission remain on the job, although their three-year term of office expired last week.

Dumas was quoted in a daily newspaper (not Newsday) as making this statement, with the added assurance that a new Environmental Commission will be in place before year’s end. Attorney Rajendra Ramlogan said Dumas’ statement would only be correct if Section 82 (5) of the Environmental Mana-gement Act had come into play in the current scenario. That section reads: “Any member of the Commission, may with the permission of the President acting on the advice of the Chairman of the Commission, continue in office for such a period after the expiry of his term as may be necessary to deliver judgment, or to do any other thing in relation to proceedings that were commenced before such member prior to the expiry of his term of office.”

However, sources at the Commission said to date no formal approach has been made to President George Maxwell Richards in keeping with Section 82 (5) of the Act. “The President has jurisdiction. That is the point. Apart from the President, the Minister can’t do anything,” the sources told Newsday. The sources also questioned why the Minister appears to be hell-bent on appointing a totally new Commission and said there was no reason why the current Environmental Commissioners should not be reappointed to continue their work. “Nobody has expressed dissatisfaction,” the sources added. They said notwithstanding its name, the Environmental Commission is a Supreme Court of Record and is the first of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago to operate effectively and efficiently.  The sources insisted that there must be no appointment of Commissioners “behind closed doors” given the seriousness of its work.

Environmental activist Eden Shand said there appear to be “two divergent views” on the matter but his view is that the current Commission has “conducted itself with high honours” during its term of office. Shand recalled that when the Commission was first formed under the UNC Government, former Environment Minister Reeza Mohammed set up a committee to screen applicants. The activist said it was not clear whether such an approach was now being taken by the PNM. While the current Commission’s term of office can be extended under Section 82 (5) of the Environmental Mana-gement Act, the Commission can only deal with outstanding matters and cannot handle any new environmental concerns brought before it.

On Monday, Commission sources  disclosed that there are several matters pending before the Commission and the parties invloved have been calling the Commission’s Registrar to find out when these matters will be heard. Ramlogan stated that the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) should not be issuing Certificates of Environmental Clearance (CEC) right now because it would be “hamstrung” without the Commission to provide some means of enforcement. EMA communications manager Neil Parsanlal dismissed suggestions that the Authority is “a toothless bulldog” and the EMA’s work is continuing. Speaking to Newsday following the adjournment of Parliament, Dumas said: “There is no matter upon which the Commission is sitting now for the purpose of adjudication. So no harm is being done by any short delay.”