
Meaningful Stakeholder Inclusion
Date: April 17th, 2018
Dear Editor/Newsroom,
Fishermen and Friends of the Sea have always been in favor of a port in Toco. Today, FFOS have written to the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and copied to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT), President of National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (NIDCO) and to the Project Engineer – Toco Port Facility, National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (NIDCO) to request a 14-day extension of the written public comment period for the Draft Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Toco Port. ( please see attached)
The communities who are most affected need sufficient time to be briefed, to study and to think carefully about the possible alternatives and the potential impacts of this project.
This is the most important phase of the Project, as the TOR is the blueprint and guides the Applicant, in this case, MOWT in their preparation and format of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report, which in turn will be used by the EMA in the decision-making process. The TOR tries to identify all the crucial environmental issues associated with the proposed project and makes provisions for the MOWT to address unforeseen issues which may only become known during the EIA investigation.
This proposed Toco Port is traversing fourteen (14) environmentally impacting designated activities listed in the Certificate of Environmental Clearance (Designated Activities) Order (as amended). FFOS believe sufficient time has not been granted for the long hard look of the implications, and have today requested an extension of time of 14 days during which FFOS itself will continue to seek technical assistance to properly understand the impact of the scope of works on the required necessary areas that the EIA should study.
FFOS seek to ensure that the primary stakeholders who will be affected, are consulted.
Stakeholders who have an interest in the North Coast fisheries are asked to contact FFOS ([email protected]/ 355-7671) who will share copies of all relevant documents to ensure inclusionary and sustainable development.
Sincerely,
Gary Aboud
Corporate Secretary