Ecobreves – HONDURAS: New Environmental Rules Announced

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Sep 1 2008 (IPS) - The Honduran government has announced new environmental regulations two years after the free trade agreement with the United States, known as CAFTA, entered into force. It is necessary “to adjust our laws because many of the rules we have are now obsolete,” Environment Minister Tomás Vaquero told Tierramérica. If the laws are not updated, Honduras could face international sanctions.

The adjustment, announced Aug. 25, has an initial phase involving the private sector. According to the leader of fuel distributors, Sarahí Silva, more than 1,000 pumps are operating without environmental permits.

The Law on Environment has existed for more than a decade and, in the opinion of many ecologists, it is time for reforms. Some 3,000 applications for energy and environmental projects have piled up as they await the new rules.