Certificate of Environmental Clearance steps

Note: The official source for matters CEC is the Environmental Management Authority which provides excellent instruction on their website .

The Environmental Management Authority is the giver of ’CEC’s. A Certificate of Environmental Clearance typically, is required for projects of scale, meaning projects that can impact ecologies or ecosystems. Therefore a dwelling house intended for construction into developed area would not need one. However, the development company who sold the plot to the prospective homeowner, would have had to get a CEC.

A Certificate of Environmental Clearance in this light becomes a major development tool for people building for example jetties or ports, malls and hotels in rustic or rural environments. Not every project will require an Environmental Impact Assessment though, so in certain cases while a CEC may be required, the criteria to obtain one may not involve conducting an EIA.

The focus of this article - while it does provide outline information on the steps involved in an EIA, deviates a bit; Environment Tobago wants to defend the requirement. Because in our experience developers tend to see the EIA as a hurdle/ an expensive one. When it truth it can save some major angst later on in the project timeline. Indeed, the EIA is often introduced as a guidance mechanism which can influence project direction - or scale, can assist in certain cost estimates, can identify instability in the local ecosystem. And can make alternative locations - not initially attractive, more workable after new information is gotten on the first choice.

In the big picture all projects that seek CEC’s of a class that requires an EIA are governed by statutes - which in the contemporary matrix of international law, pays especial heed to the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC). Which to simplify, wants the world to go about developing, but without adding to the waste/pollution stream. The UNFCC is also geared to reducing levels of ‘greenhouse gas’ already in the atmosphere. So new projects will always be asked to forestall aspects of construction/downstream operation that goes against these ambitions.

By nature, most developers do projects for financial reward. So, historically it has been observed there is that tendency to cut corners in the quality of work that goes to satisfy CEC requirements, especially in the EIA stage - in order to save money. This is the classic Pyrrhic victory. Projects of scale that lie (let’s be real) ‘win’ in the near term but also forces ‘loss’ onto the environment - thus the community, where the project is rolled out.

Outline approvals are given to developers in order to allow them to begin the process of true estimation. In this stage baseline data is examined, most always by a contractor with capacity and capability to provide a clear picture of what is there in the geography of the area the EMA thinks may be impacted by the project. Outline approvals does not mean the project is greenlighted. Far from it.

So parties with concerns should use this period to interact with the contractor doing the social and environmental impact study (SEIA) making sure their input is documented. They should also make arrangements to be physically present at stakeholder sessions - that properly apprise. Where, if doubt does arise at some point - on any aspect of the project’s impact/potential to impact, correspondence should be sent to the Environmental Management Authority.

Stakeholders ought to be mindful of the importance of letters in project development. Projects are children of business entities, which in turn are legal entities. Steps that requires business entities to pay heed, especially in areas they may not want to, will require legally acceptable forms of correspondence, therefore the need to written correspondence.

It is at this juncture of project development where fear may come in. Big projects tout income and or extended benefits to humanity, rarely to nature. And can induce fear of losing opportunity (as in the case of a hopeful worker/workforce). Just as it can also spark serious worry on the part of people who may lose work because the project happens. Fear may also occur in cases where the developer is known to be shall we say - heavy handed.

Which allows for this timely call. That Trinidad and Tobago should sign the Escaz&uacute Agreement and ratify it into local legislation. Think of this as an international treaty with teeth enough protect defenders of the environment. see more on that here while we stick to the process driving a local CEC application.

Mention was made earlier of acquiring and producing a baseline picture - which is taken to include aspects Statistical, Empirical and Anecdotal; should cover Nature and People in the zone identified by the EMA in an outline approval. Third parties, that is interested parties Not from the developer camp, Not from the EIA contractor camp, should be aware that Trinidad and Tobago has very poor access to up to date information/ that is data sets that can assist in determining future needs. Or present or past losses.

This arises from poor funding of the government infrastructure that has to provide same. Whether or not governments allow this situation to propagate deliberately, in order to have certain courses of action continue is immaterial. The T&T public needs to understand that data by itself will not automatically stop destruction/corruption, people’s voices do.

It is in this context that the process behind the CEC makes up for lack of state of the art systems. Environment Tobago urges the reader who may not be environmentally attuned but is concerned with matters social - to look around and contribute to the process. Everything counts in an Assessment.