DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Environmental advocates have leveled sharp accusations against the Ministry of Environment claiming the government body has shifted from being a regulatory watchdog to a “facilitating agency” for corporate interests. Since August 2024, the Ministry of Environment is under Paino Henriquez, a highly reputed corporate lawyer. It is his first position in government.

Critics argue that the Ministry’s handling of the Los Negros case in Azua provides concrete evidence of its complicity with both national and foreign capital. The controversy centers on three power-generating barges owned by the Turkish firm Karpowership. According to the environmentalists, the ships burn “Bunker C,” which they describe as one of the dirtiest fuels in the world. They allege the barges emit thick black smoke and persistent noise that have degraded a “natural paradise into a living...