B.C.C.I. Holds Stance that it Voted At NEAC Meeting on Port Project, Contrary to D.O.E. Claim

The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, B.C.C.I., says that contrary to a press release by the Department of the Environment, D.O.E., it did vote at a meeting held by the National Environmental Appraisal Committee, NEAC, on November twenty-fourth on the Port of Belize Expansion Project. The B.C.C.I. issued a press release late today that states that NEAC held a meeting on November twenty-seventh, to consider and vote in respect of the Port of Belize Expansion Project. But the Chamber’s representative on NEAC could not attend because of urgent circumstances, and after consulting with an officer of the D.O.E., who was present at the meeting, the B.C.C.I. was informed that it could submit its vote by email and proceeded to do so. The Chamber indicates that two media houses reported that the NEAC vote was unanimous, so they issued a statement to clarify to those media houses that the vote was not unanimous since they had voted in favor of the expansion project. So the Chamber said it was greatly surprised when, on December seventh, the D.O.E. issued their press release stating stated that the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations do not permit members of NEAC to vote without attending the meeting, and so it was incorrect for the B.C.C.I. to state that it voted as part of its membership of NEAC. The B.C.C.I says that this statement by the D.O.E. did not take account their consultation with the D.O.E. prior to emailing its vote, nor the fact that the E.I.A. Regulations do not mandate attendance or voting at meetings to be in person. The Chamber recently discovered that it’s vote was not tabled at the meeting and they say they take issue with the insinuation in the D.O.E. December seventh release that they acted contrary to law, had misinformed the public, or that they acted contrary to good decision-making practices of a responsible committee member in exercising its vote without taking into account the scientific and technical reports shared at the meeting. Referring to their mandate that require them to be pro-development and pro-investment, except in instances when the development or investment would be harmful to the country or the economy, the Chamber says it maintains the position that it did vote in accordance with its mandate.