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TOO LATE TO MATTER?: ENVIRONMENTALISTS UPSET OVER BILL BEING PASSED WITHOUT THEIR INPUT
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow
08.12.11
The Armenian Parliament this week has passed by first hearing a bill
on amendments to the law on environmental impact assessment. Experts
insist, however, that the new draft law is anti-environmental.
Armenian lawmakers last Friday rushed to pass the bill by first
hearing following the public discussions at the parliament; some of
the suggestions and comments voiced were incorporated in the draft
law before its adoption.
A civil initiative group presented a report during the parliamentary
hearings, and having made their critical observations demanded to
call the bill back from the floor and draft a new one.
Environmentalists warn that it's a fundamental law in the field that
will determine the future quality of the country's environment and
natural economic development.
"The bill doesn't serve the main purpose of environmental impact
assessment; it lacks expert-defined regulatory-legislative grounds
required for practical application of the law. Hence, in fact,
the law cannot be observed because the procedures by which proper
environmental assessment should be done are absent. The situation has
been like this since 1995 when the main law was adopted, and remains
the same up until now," the report read in part. (The report was
prepared by a civil initiative group consisting of NGOs representing
civil society and volunteer activists.)
Levon Galstyan, geographer and environmental activist from Preserve
Trchkan Waterfall initiative, says the civil initiative did not
submit written suggestions or recommendations to the ministry of
environmental protection.
"We demand to call back the bill and give a chance to submit our
suggestions. As a citizen I realize just looking at that law that
SNCO (State Non-Commercial Organization) ,might approve the draft,"
says Galstyan. "It contains many serious risks, the law is not
professionally drafted". The new bill, in fact, regulates the
operations of SNCO.
Azganush Drnoyan, senior specialist of the initiative at the Ministry
of Environmental Protection, said introducing the amended bill
submitted for the second hearing, that it's a complicated law and
that all spheres have complicated procedures.
"We have taken into account oral comments and recommendations and,
moreover, have left as much room for further amendment as possible,"
she says.
Drnoyan spoke with criticism of the environmentalists for not
having submitted their suggestions in time and stressed that only
Transparency International had made suggestions, some of which were
taken into consideration.
In response to the question why they had not presented their
suggestions Galstyan says it is essential that the bill is called back.
"When the law is called back, only then will we submit our suggestions;
there are 60 of them and cannot be discussed in 5-10 days. During the
Friday hearings at the Parliament we made our oral suggestions. On
Monday the bill was passed by first hearing but not a single letter
from our suggestions had been taken into account," says Galstyan.
Environmentalists are under an impression that the state is planning to
mine all the mineral resources of Armenia in ten years' time. They are
puzzled why the bill had been drafted and submitted to the parliament
in as little as two months.
Henrik Grigoryan, leading SNCO in charge of environmental assessment,
doesn't know why the rush, but says that it's as vital as air and
water to pass that bill. The current law has been in force since 1995
and is badly in need of amendments.
Drnoyan says the draft had long been under consideration and a subject
of many discussions.
"It's another issue that we go to discuss but not a single public
member is present to participate, and we have no levers to summon
them," she says.
Environmentalists are planning to turn to President Serzh Sargsyan
so that environmental issues are solved once and for all.
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow
08.12.11
The Armenian Parliament this week has passed by first hearing a bill
on amendments to the law on environmental impact assessment. Experts
insist, however, that the new draft law is anti-environmental.
Armenian lawmakers last Friday rushed to pass the bill by first
hearing following the public discussions at the parliament; some of
the suggestions and comments voiced were incorporated in the draft
law before its adoption.
A civil initiative group presented a report during the parliamentary
hearings, and having made their critical observations demanded to
call the bill back from the floor and draft a new one.
Environmentalists warn that it's a fundamental law in the field that
will determine the future quality of the country's environment and
natural economic development.
"The bill doesn't serve the main purpose of environmental impact
assessment; it lacks expert-defined regulatory-legislative grounds
required for practical application of the law. Hence, in fact,
the law cannot be observed because the procedures by which proper
environmental assessment should be done are absent. The situation has
been like this since 1995 when the main law was adopted, and remains
the same up until now," the report read in part. (The report was
prepared by a civil initiative group consisting of NGOs representing
civil society and volunteer activists.)
Levon Galstyan, geographer and environmental activist from Preserve
Trchkan Waterfall initiative, says the civil initiative did not
submit written suggestions or recommendations to the ministry of
environmental protection.
"We demand to call back the bill and give a chance to submit our
suggestions. As a citizen I realize just looking at that law that
SNCO (State Non-Commercial Organization) ,might approve the draft,"
says Galstyan. "It contains many serious risks, the law is not
professionally drafted". The new bill, in fact, regulates the
operations of SNCO.
Azganush Drnoyan, senior specialist of the initiative at the Ministry
of Environmental Protection, said introducing the amended bill
submitted for the second hearing, that it's a complicated law and
that all spheres have complicated procedures.
"We have taken into account oral comments and recommendations and,
moreover, have left as much room for further amendment as possible,"
she says.
Drnoyan spoke with criticism of the environmentalists for not
having submitted their suggestions in time and stressed that only
Transparency International had made suggestions, some of which were
taken into consideration.
In response to the question why they had not presented their
suggestions Galstyan says it is essential that the bill is called back.
"When the law is called back, only then will we submit our suggestions;
there are 60 of them and cannot be discussed in 5-10 days. During the
Friday hearings at the Parliament we made our oral suggestions. On
Monday the bill was passed by first hearing but not a single letter
from our suggestions had been taken into account," says Galstyan.
Environmentalists are under an impression that the state is planning to
mine all the mineral resources of Armenia in ten years' time. They are
puzzled why the bill had been drafted and submitted to the parliament
in as little as two months.
Henrik Grigoryan, leading SNCO in charge of environmental assessment,
doesn't know why the rush, but says that it's as vital as air and
water to pass that bill. The current law has been in force since 1995
and is badly in need of amendments.
Drnoyan says the draft had long been under consideration and a subject
of many discussions.
"It's another issue that we go to discuss but not a single public
member is present to participate, and we have no levers to summon
them," she says.
Environmentalists are planning to turn to President Serzh Sargsyan
so that environmental issues are solved once and for all.