(CMR) Member of Parliament for West Bay West McKeeva Bush has openly voiced his support for changes to the National Conservation Act, making him the first MP to share his support publicly.
CMR sources have revealed that MPs Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Andre Ebanks, and Heather Bodden do not support changes to the Act. Former premier Wayne Panton has also stated that he does not support changes to the Act.
Bush, a government backbencher, said he supports changes to the law, which are expected to remove some powers from the National Conservation Council because it is hindering the development of the East-West arterial.
While the government has not explained the intended changes, Bush, speaking on a local talk show last Thursday, said the government was not gutting the law but creating a balance based on ” good legal advice.”
Addressing the delay in the construction of the East-West arterial, Bush said, “It is a crying shame that we could have gotten something done by now and we have not been able to because we are protecting lime lizards and iguanas. They might be important to our ecosystem to some extent, but our children, our people, are more important.”
He said people have to get up at 4 a.m. in the mornings to be able to drop their kids off at school and are still not getting to their destination on time.
“It is a crying shame that we have a situation in place that is stopping that from happening,” Bush added.
He said some changes had to be made, but the law was not being destroyed.
“We do have a situation because matters to do with the environment are hindering the thing from going forward. They can say what they like, and they can tell all sorts of stories and bring all sorts of statistics. The facts are what they are. People are hurting in the eastern districts because of not being able to get that highway built sufficiently,” Bush continued.
Concerned citizens started an online petition calling for the preservation of the National Conservation Act after news emerged that the United People's Movement wanted to make significant changes to the Act.
Allegations are that the UPM wants the requirement for environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for government projects removed, the National Conservation Council‘s composition altered, the technical expertise removed, and public departments to decide whether or not projects such as roads and multi-story tower blocks need to be referred to the NCC.
Several people, including former premier Wayne Panton, have voiced their disagreement with changing the Act, noting that it has not prevented development.