2009 Environmental Impact Assessment May Help to Expedite Proposed Harvest Caye Project

The Stake Bank Project is on the environmental table for dissection and analysis. But while the NCL project proposed for Harvest Caye in the south is very much in the headlines, it hasn’t even officially reached that point yet. And when it does, it seems that the process will be expedited, since an Environmental Impact Assessment was already approved for Harvest Caye in 2009. It was for a different project which never got off the table, but there are similar elements, according to Chief Environmental Officer Martin Alegria. Still, Alegria says he hasn’t seen any proposal on the proposed NCL destination on Harvest Caye.

Martin Alegria, Chief Environmental Officer

Martin Alegria

“There was this Harvest Caye proposal which was approved recently, a year or two ago which the land component is similar in terms of tourism development. It’s the densities that might change. The big difference between these two is that one had an airstrip which is now eliminated while the other one has a trestle-way or a pier that will accommodate cruise ships so that is one of the biggest differences between them. But land based its similar issues that we deal with in terms of sewage disposal, electricity generation, water supply, etc. etc.”

Dean Barrow, Prime Minister

“As I understand it aspects of this project that were going to be covered as well by the previous project for which an EIA was approved…there’s no need to go back over those. But I would imagine…I don’t know the percentage, the apportionment…but perhaps 40% of what is happening now will be new. Very clearly that 40% has to be subject to its own EIA. I really don’t see that there is the kind of problem that you appear to see. No man, we will do this thing by the book and we were careful as well to put in the MOU that everything is subject to EIA approval.”

Martin Alegria

“What I can tell you up to today I’ve heard of issues, advances being made but officially I haven’t gotten any proposal in terms of the NCL initiative at Harvest Caye so when that comes in we’ll start the process and work around it or work with it depending on what the environmental issues of concern with that particular undertaking are…”