As we move into another new year, Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) wish list is as follows:
�2 That our Government implement principle 10 of Rio Declaration being the right of access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters
�2 That our Government review the permit fees for air and water pollution to include the cost of cleaning up the pollution
�2 That our Government halt all new or renewed quarry licenses until a) all of the $112 million outstanding royalties for the legal quarries (owed from 2000 to 2010)are paid in full to the Treasury; b) A national assessment is undertaken of the impact of quarrying on our ecosystems and water aquifers; c) Enforcement of all legislation regulating quarries; d) That our Government give illegal quarry operators 90 days to obtain quarry licences or be shut down and e) That our Government review the rehabilitation bond in quarry licenses
�2 That our Government widen the jurisdiction of the Environmental Commission of T&T to deal with ALL environmental matters
�2 That our Government reform the Environmental Management Authority to ensure transparency, accountability and reduce corruption and that State agencies applying for permits must follow the process and not be fast tracked or permitted to commit acts of plagiarism and fraud
�2 That our Government legislate for the protection for whistle-blowers reporting on environmental crimes and corruption within environmental agencies
�2 That our Government ensure full proclamation of the Planning and Facilitation of Development Act
�2 That our Government empower the annual preparation of a State of the Environment Report
�2 That our Government create a system for the collection and storage of environmental data from state agencies, universities and the private sector. This data should be available to the public
�2 With mounting evidence worldwide, BPtt should stop broadcasting strategic and misleading advertisements that seismic blasts are "only just a way of taking a picture"
�2 That our Government create tax incentives and subsidised loans for the establishment of waste recycling facilities/businesses
�2 That our Government pass the Beverages Containers Bill (with a 20c refundable fee for each container) which will spawn the birth of hundreds of container recycling businesses employing thousands of landfill scavengers
Finally, we publicly offer all or any assistance to the Government in this shared journey for order, for wealth creation and for sustainability.
Fishermen and Friends
of the Sea