Rating the Environmental Record of Hippo & Moya Pons

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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Well, folks, next week the Administration of Hippo is history and Frank Moya Pons leaves as Environment Minister. The General Environment Law, and the creation of the Environment Ministry, was one of Hippo's first acts, believe it or not! (I still have trouble believing it!)

How would you write up the balance sheet of the first four years of the new Law and Ministry? What are the accomplishments, what are the failures/shortcomings?

I have my own opinion, of course, but will hold my tongue until others have had their say because I want to hear other perspectives.

If you wish to do this the way some of my British friends do it -- "bouquets" (cheers, positives, pluses, successes) and "brickbats" (boos/hisses, negatives, minuses, failures), that would be fine. :laugh:

Have at it, folks! Don't be shy! Nothing Hippo can do to you now! ;)
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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Must reading for anyone interested in the Dominican environment...

"Doctrina y politicas de medio ambiente y recursos naturales" by Frank Moya Pons.

This is dramatic reading featuring many of the inside stories of what Moya Pons was up against, including that his worst enemy was the same government (provincial governors, city mayors, the military, even the President) that had appointed him. He got a taste of this when 15 days after the President signed the Environmental Law, the President himself violated it with a decree authorizing Pepe Hidalgo of Air Europa to build a hotel within the protected park limits.
 
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Keith R

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Dolores said:
Must reading for anyone interested in the Dominican environment...

"Doctrina y politicas de medio ambiente y recursos naturales" by Frank Moya Pons.

This is dramatic reading featuring many of the inside stories of what Moya Pons was up against, including that his worst enemy was the same government (provincial governors, city mayors, the military, even the President) that had appointed him. He got a taste of this when 15 days after the President signed the Environmental Law, he himself violated it with a decree authorizing Pepe Hidalgo of Air Europa to build a hotel within the protected park limits.
D, how can those of us interested in reading it get ahold of a copy?
Thanks,
Keith
 

Dolores1

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ISBN 999-34-996-2-5

Will try to get you a copy for your next visit here. Eventually I suppose it will be for sale at La Trinitaria book store. It's a 664 page book.
 

Keith R

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Dolores said:
ISBN 999-34-996-2-5

Will try to get you a copy for your next visit here. Eventually I suppose it will be for sale at La Trinitaria book store. It's a 664 page book.
Thanks, D. Large books don't scare me. I'll see if I can find it here stateside using the ISBN number. Although maybe I can use the book copy waiting for me in SD as an excuse to visit SD sooner! ;) Yeah, that's the ticket! LOL

I had hoped that my offer to the Fernandez Administration to provide my services on waste policy without charging a fee would prompt them to invite me down to talk strategy, but guess they were not interested....so my return to SD will have to await next vacation time...
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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His record on the evironment is the same as his record in any other area!

It $ucks!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can pass all the laws you want,blame everyone not responsible for everything,say you are going to do one thing,and then do another,it doesn't mean a damn thing!!!It doesn't mean a damn thing if the President is going to authorize the sale,(Some times give away) of prime government owned real estate,often National park land!Just like absolutely everything else here,if you can make a buck on it,the country be damned!!
Cris Colon :bandit: :bandit: :bandit: :cry: :cry: :cry:
 

Keith R

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Criss Colon said:
It $ucks!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can pass all the laws you want,blame everyone not responsible for everything,say you are going to do one thing,and then do another,it doesn't mean a damn thing!!!It doesn't mean a damn thing if the President is going to authorize the sale,(Some times give away) of prime government owned real estate,often National park land!Just like absolutely everything else here,if you can make a buck on it,the country be damned!!
Cris Colon :bandit: :bandit: :bandit: :cry: :cry: :cry:

While I agree that the record overall is heavily negative, believe it or not (no pun intended!) I personally think that there have been some positives ("bouquets") too. I am not going to list them quite yet, because I want to see if anyone else thinks so too and which ones they suggest...

Both CC and Dolores have mentioned sale of national park lands to developers as a "brickbat" for this administration. Any other specific examples? C'mon, folks, play along! :ermm:
 

Lambada

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I am struggling to find a "bouquet" - maybe the recent investigation, & published results of, polluted fuels? I'm not sure if the practice has been stopped (yeah, well!) but at least publishing it is a start.
But I would have to award a brickbat for the substandard housing erected at Jimani. I know this is more INVI than Dept. of Environment, but it clearly has environmental consequences.
And why when one changes ones car placa, don't they request you hand the old one over & use it as scrap metal? Instead of all the old placas becoming so much rubbish?
 

deelt

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Mar 23, 2004
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Fisheries maybe?

Potential Positives
There might have been some regeneration of fauna and flora. But I can't back that up. I think the webpage of the Environment was very professionally done and it's contents on the surface seemed progressive. Also there also seem to be an increasing promotion of ecoturist sites but I am not sure if that is necesarily a direct reflection of MoE's agenda. Seems like a superficial contribution...

Potential Negatives
On the cross links between energy and environment, housing and environment, waste mngt, hazmat, transport (thus air quality), water quality and water resources management (esp. as it relates to power generation and daily potable water consumption)

On mining I saw some docs that I was not happy with that were probably with the endorsement of MoE.

Just hard pressed to find anything with any certainty.
D

Keith R said:
While I agree that the record overall is heavily negative, believe it or not (no pun intended!) I personally think that there have been some positives ("bouquets") too. I am not going to list them quite yet, because I want to see if anyone else thinks so too and which ones they suggest...

Both CC and Dolores have mentioned sale of national park lands to developers as a "brickbat" for this administration. Any other specific examples? C'mon, folks, play along! :ermm:
 

Criss Colon

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I see that "Someone" is picking up the abandoned cars in Santo Domingo

and turning them in for "scrap".It seems that a junk car has a value as scrap of $80 US!
THis might have the potential for abuse like the "Bounty" on stray dogs.The definition of "Junk" might come to include any car not chained down!
The "Bounty" program on stray dogs will never work,they will steal every dog they can find to collect the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see a huge warehouse on my way home each day where they seem to be bundleing scrap paper for recycling!
If it is going to work here,money has to be the incentive!With a peso "Bounty" on all beer,and soft drink bottles and cans,you might get some recycling!
CCCCCCCCCC
 

Keith R

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Criss Colon said:
I see a huge warehouse on my way home each day where they seem to be bundleing scrap paper for recycling!
If it is going to work here,money has to be the incentive!With a peso "Bounty" on all beer,and soft drink bottles and cans,you might get some recycling!
CCCCCCCCCC
Well, there are good arguments for a mandatory deposit on drinks packaging as an incentive to reuse/recycling, and experience elsewhere promises much success when the deposit/return system is designed and implemented properly. The trouble is usually just that -- design and implementation! But that is an argument for another thread....
 

Dolores1

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Dolores said:
ISBN 999-34-996-2-5

Will try to get you a copy for your next visit here. Eventually I suppose it will be for sale at La Trinitaria book store. It's a 664 page book.

Keith, got your book through a contact who was visiting the Ministry of Environment today and did me the favor. It's here for the next time you visit.
 

Keith R

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Dolores said:
Keith, got your book through a contact who was visiting the Ministry of Environment today and did me the favor. It's here for the next time you visit.
Thanks much, D. Hope I can come collect it real soon! ;)

Maybe if I can succeed in my campaign to get Leonel to appoint Caco as Environment Minister, I'll come to watch his swearing in... :cheeky:
 

Texas Bill

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Feb 11, 2003
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Just a simple question????

Does the DR have a law against Littering???

Or, is such a thing left up to the local communities?

A real good source of income for the local governments would be such a law, strictly enforced. The national debt would disappear in less than a year through strict enforcement through heavy fines and would serve to remove the numerous roadside dumps that are so prevalent. That and the crap on the streets, in the yards and everywhere else. Also, it would give the Police something to do instead of sitting around the station all day and night. They might even start earning their meager pay through actually working for a change.

Texas Bill
 

Keith R

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Texas Bill said:
Does the DR have a law against Littering???

Or, is such a thing left up to the local communities?

A real good source of income for the local governments would be such a law, strictly enforced. The national debt would disappear in less than a year through strict enforcement through heavy fines and would serve to remove the numerous roadside dumps that are so prevalent. That and the crap on the streets, in the yards and everywhere else. Also, it would give the Police something to do instead of sitting around the station all day and night. They might even start earning their meager pay through actually working for a change.

Texas Bill
Bill,
From the General Environment Law:

Art. 107.- Se prohibe la colocaci?n, lanzamiento y disposici?n final de desechos s?lidos o l?quidos, t?xicos o no, en lugares no establecidos para ello por la autoridad competente.

If I were Leonel, one of the early things I would do in the environmental field would be something concrete and visible regarding the things the average citizen sees & hears, so people start to feel like change is really coming. For example, some fines & enforcement for litter, noise law violations, etc. Publicly fine government-owned firms & installations for pollution violations. And visibly bust the guys still mining the bottom of riverbeds in flagrant violation of law!

Just my two cents! Oops, I should have said this in the other thread on what Leonel should do...
 

vjmiller

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Aug 16, 2004
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Regarding the Moya Pons legacy, I was fortunate to meet most of the norms and regulations team under Renee Ledesma. They were comprised of well educated men and women from places like MIT, University of Florida,Cornell and Tufts,just to name a few.
To a person, they were passionate about the massive challenge in front of them. While trying to get past thier first 100 days, they didn't have phones, offices and very little transportation just to get to sites.I feel they remained the outsiders during the entire mejia administration. The budgets were comical and they had ZERO cooperation to retrieve info from the past agencies that handled eco issues. Any real help came from the outside governments. Places like Spain,Japan, Germany and obviously the US
One ministry official that stuck out in my mind was a gentleman named Veloz. He was the smoothest speaker that I met in the DR other than Moya Pons himself. And I don't mean used car salesman smooth but Tony Robbins smooth. He could make you embrace his ideals and convince you join his fight in the time it took for a cup of tea.
I do shake my head at the bahahibe decisions and wonder if everyone just got that Titanic feeling and turned their head inthe final days of the Mejia administration.
I don' think an honest assessment of that environmental administration can be made until several years down the road. We must see if the first steps that Moya Pons took during the infancy of this agency will be followed up by this Puig guy. I haven't seen or heard much about him at all.
In closing, I must clearify something about The environmental Law that Mejia created. The simple fact is he didn't create it. This was the first bill that he signed into law on the day of his swearing in as president. It was crafted completely by the first Leonel administation.
 

Robert

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vjmiller said:
Regarding the Moya Pons legacy, I was fortunate to meet most of the norms and regulations team under Renee Ledesma. They were comprised of well educated men and women from places like MIT, University of Florida,Cornell and Tufts,just to name a few.
To a person, they were passionate about the massive challenge in front of them. While trying to get past thier first 100 days, they didn't have phones, offices and very little transportation just to get to sites.I feel they remained the outsiders during the entire mejia administration. The budgets were comical and they had ZERO cooperation to retrieve info from the past agencies that handled eco issues. Any real help came from the outside governments. Places like Spain,Japan, Germany and obviously the US
One ministry official that stuck out in my mind was a gentleman named Veloz. He was the smoothest speaker that I met in the DR other than Moya Pons himself. And I don't mean used car salesman smooth but Tony Robbins smooth. He could make you embrace his ideals and convince you join his fight in the time it took for a cup of tea.
I do shake my head at the bahahibe decisions and wonder if everyone just got that Titanic feeling and turned their head inthe final days of the Mejia administration.
I don' think an honest assessment of that environmental administration can be made until several years down the road. We must see if the first steps that Moya Pons took during the infancy of this agency will be followed up by this Puig guy. I haven't seen or heard much about him at all.
In closing, I must clearify something about The environmental Law that Mejia created. The simple fact is he didn't create it. This was the first bill that he signed into law on the day of his swearing in as president. It was crafted completely by the first Leonel administation.

I agree with you 100%. I have met Moya Pons on several occasions and he is a super nice guy and very well respected, plus I have never heard a bad thing said against him.

Many people sent their condolences when he took up the post in the Mejia administration :) I think under the circumstances he did an excellent job, despite the conditions, agendas and restraints he had to work with.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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What about the rockash scandal? That alone and the way Moya Pons responded was enough to taint my view of him.