The Feinstein Group's Port Coral mega - project has been much in the news this week. We visited the development on Stake Bank Island on Tuesday - and that's the same day the Coalition of Environmental NGO's released two letters they've written to the Department of the Environment and the Minister. Using a Freedom of Information request, they're demanding the release of all documents, quote, "concerning any Environmental Clearance Process approvals related to the Ocean View Grand, and/or Stake Bank, and/or Feinstein Group, and or any other party that proposes construction of causeways between Belize City and offshore cayes."
They sent in that letter to the Department of the Environment 15 days ago and have gotten a response for what is called "The Stake Bank File" - but nothing so far on the proposed causeway.
The stir over that 5 mile structure probably began on September 9th when the Feinstein group announced one month ago, quote, "Port Coral, located four miles east of Belize City at Stake Bank Island…will be connected to Belize City via the causeway that passes through North Drowned Caye to Belize City."
And it allegedly has an Environmental Compliance Plan - which Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management said last night on Uncut - exists - but it's just that no one can find it:
Hon. Orlando Habet - Minister of Sustainable Development
"They were also concerned because they hadn't seen the environmental compliance plan for the cause ways, so apparently something happened in the ministry that the 2019 ECP was not put out in public domain so they could have access to it. I was informed they had prior access to the documents where they went into the library and made their research and that is why they said they didn't see those because they weren't privy to those but my understanding is that there is a ECP; personally, I haven't seen it either, I've seen the 2007, 2013 and 2017 ECPs."
Jules Vasquez
"So, you haven't seen it but you know that it exists based on?"
Hon. Orlando Habet
"Based on conversation with members of the department."
Jules Vasquez
"Are they able to find it? Is anyone able to put their hands on it?"
Hon. Orlando Habet
"I believe so, I was trying to get a hold of it before I came here but I couldn't. My understanding is that during the previous administration there were ups and downs, remember there were like 3 or 4 ministers that were changed, Mr. Vega then Ms. Alamilla, then after was Mr. Hulse, then to Mr. Figueroa. What we got to understand was that there was a lot of push from all sides between who supported it and who didn't, who support one company and didn't support the other and there was a change in the legislation granting the CEO of the ministry then the powers of authority to the N.E.A.C but the law legislates that it is the chief environmental officer, so there was contentions and so things were happening and I guess in those deliberations that they had and the contentions that they had, one must have granted the ECP, maybe the other one didn't know, I'm not sure we don't know exactly what happened during those meetings."
We checked back whit the Minister today, asking if that mysterious ECP had surfaced and he said, quote, "Not as yet but requested that the DOE locate it Urgently."
