The United Nations Development Program urged President Hipolito Mejia to veto a bill that incorporates major changes in the makeup of its national parks. In a letter to the President, the UNDP says that if he ratifies the Sectoral Protected Area Bill, it would be a step backwards from all the advances made regarding environmental matters under his government. Environmental Law 64-00, which provided the framework for environmental protection in the Dominican Republic, was one of the first bills, if not the first bill, passed under the Mejia administration. The provisions contained in the new bill tamper with the parks? boundaries, allowing parts of the land to be used for commercial development, and reduces the regulatory role of governmental environmental authorities.