D.O.E. Says No to Environmental Clearance for Port of Belize Expansion Project

Just before news time tonight, the Department of Environment issued a statement indicating that it has decided not to grant environmental clearance to the Port of Belize Cruise Tourism Facility and Cargo Expansion Project submitted by Port of Belize Limited. The release goes on to say that “Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) has a mandate to focus on the environmental impacts and key social and economic impacts that any proposed project could potentially have. Following a process of public consultations, exchanges with the developer and site inspections, the NEAC, at its meeting held on November twenty-fourth, 2022, recommended, on the basis of the scientific and technical information before it, that the project not be granted environmental clearance.” And so the D.O.E. says that it has given careful consideration to the recommendation of the NEAC and has informed the developer that the department has accepted the NEAC’s recommendation and would not be granting environmental clearance to the project.