Environmentalists opposed to Disney Cruise Line’s development of a cruise port at Lighthouse Point, Eleuthera, have called on Minister of the Environment and Housing Romauld Ferreira to extend the public review period for Disney’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), contending that 30 days is not enough to properly review and comment on the 550-page document.
In a letter to Ferreira last week, the environmentalists asked for a 90-day review period instead of the month given and have urged the government to release the details of a planned April 8 meeting to discuss the EIA.
“We are writing to request an extension of the public consultation process and additional information regarding the timeline for Disney Cruise Line’s draft EIA for the proposed cruise ship port at Lighthouse Point in southern Eleuthera,” the letter states.
“We did not receive a response to our October 27th, 2020 letter, in which we provided a suggested timeline for the public consultation process prior to the release of Disney’s draft EIA. On March 10th, Disney released its 551-page draft EIA for Lighthouse Point. On March 18th, the Department of Environmental Protection and Planning (DEPP) announced that a public Zoom meeting will be held on April 8th at 6:00 p.m; on April 29th, final public comments are due.
“At this point, there is no information about the format and agenda for the April 8th meeting. There is no available information about the details of the process or the timeline for the government’s review of the EIA following the April 29th deadline. We cannot conduct a meaningful review of the EIA without a fully transparent public consultation process.”
In a statement released by environmentalists yesterday, they continued their insistence that government increase the consultation period to provide more scrutiny of the EIA and to give detailed information on the meeting to discuss the EIA.
Executive Director of ReEarth Sam Duncombe said in the statement that 30 days is not enough time to review the 550-page document.
“This EIA is 550 pages and took three years for Disney to put together,” Duncombe said. “The government has given us 30 days, which is nowhere near enough time to sufficiently review the document and provide comments.”
Executive Director of Waterkeepers Bahamas Rashema Ingraham said environmentalists are completely in the dark about the government’s plan for the public consultation process. She called on both Disney and the government to lay out a clear plan.
According to Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, executive director of the Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation, Disney’s EIA has “huge gaps of missing information”, especially regarding its economic analysis and impacts on commercially important and endangered animals.
“Disney must be required to take all public comments into consideration and then resubmit a final EIA with supplemental studies to address all concerns raised in the public consultation process,” McKinney-Lambert said.
Waterkeeper Alliance Executive Director Marc Yaggi added: “Disney claims it has a strong commitment to science, sustainability and engagement with stakeholders, yet at Lighthouse Point, Disney appears determined to ram through a fundamentally flawed 551-page environmental impact assessment for its proposed cruise port with too little time and opportunity for meaningful public participation.”
Early this month, Disney released the EIA on its website, with a Disney official saying they are satisfied that the document has addressed the many concerns received from environmentalists.
The post Environmentalists want 90-day review period for Disney’s EIA appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/environmentalists-want-90-day-review-period-for-disneys-eia/
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