The Salvadoran government announced that it will accelerate the delivery of permits for several construction projects pending from previous administrations, valued at more than $1.4 billion.
Directors of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), who are part of the new administration of President Nayib Bukele, specified that the aim is to deliver as soon as possible the files that were retained by old authorities and that the mission is to streamline the procedures but not to make them flexible.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in El Salvador is calling for expressions of interest to develop a nationwide perception survey.
Government Purchase El Salvador SBCC-01/2016:
The aims is to "develop a national survey to determine the impact of MARN's communication, as a baseline to design and implement communication strategies that affect citizens.
Pacific Energy has announced its entry as majority partner in Invenergy in the project for making a 355 MW generator using liquefied natural gas, which has not yet been announced by the US company.
According to statements made by the CEO of the company Pacific Energy (EDP), Alejandro Alle, published in an article on Elmundo.sv, the US company Invenergy LCC will acquire between 70% and 85% of Pacific Energy, facilitating the participation of multilateral credit agencies in the $800 million financing which is required.
In the departments of La Paz and San Vicente procedures will be made through a local office, without having to go to the headquarters of the authority for the environment.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN):
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) in coordination with the Association of Municipalities Los Nonualcos, has set up a one-stop shop that will streamline procedures related to the environmental assessment process.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has presented a guide on the technical criteria for the design and construction of butchers and slaughterhouses and the management of wastewater and solid waste.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Environment (MARN):
Slaughterhouses are the first link in the meat industry, because it is in them that meat for human consumption is obtained, therefore they need to operate using quality standards and all facilities must meet the requirements of proper operation, in order to ensure the health of the population and environmental protection.
With a new system, the authorities promise to reduce the time for granting environmental permits from 70 to 49 days for high-impact projects, and 20-16 for mild impact ones.
According to a statement issued by the Salvadoran authorities, the new System of Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) "... will speed up and reduce waiting times for the issuance of Environmental Permits by up to 30%.
Developers claim that the law streamlining procedures adopted in 2013 is not being enforced by state institutions, which continue to impede investment in the sector.
According to representatives of the builder's guild, there are some private and public projects, all medium-term in the area of homes and businesses, which could not be executed because of the amount of bureaucratic processes that are still pending.
The Legislature will not accept Presidential comments on Act 53 which prohibits the use of agrochemicals, and will only increase the timeframe for their withdrawal.
The Committee on the Environment and Climate Change in Congress has set a deadline of one year for a ban on the sale of the pesticide "Paraquat" and two years for other products.
From a press release issued by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador:
Despite opinions to the contrary, the new law includes Paraquat, Glyphosate and Endosulfan in the list of chemicals banned from use in agricultural production.
From a press release by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources:
With 45 votes in favor, members of the FMLN, Unidos por El salvador and GANA approved the amendment of a Law on the control of pesticides, fertilizers and products for agricultural use, which allows the prohibition of 53 chemicals in El Salvador.
In the first six months of 2013 the Executive of El Salvador paid $11 million to various consultancies to perform tasks which regular staff can't do or don't know how to do.
According to an article in Elmundo.com.sv "From January 1 to June 28, the government set aside the amount of $11.1 million for the hiring of a number of consultancies ranging from construction supervision, administrative support and creating 'general guidelines' for policies, 'negotiating' with transporters from the Transit System in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (Sitramss) among other things."
The sugar sector exceeded its production goals for the 2012/13 season, closing with 16.8 million quintals of sugar, 12% more than in the previous harvest.
"The sector is counting on productivity, for which the mills with cane growers have invested in new technologies and farming methods in order to increase efficiency and productivity," said Mario Salaverria, president of the Sugar Association (AESA ).
Employers in El Salvador have announced the creation of Adepesca, an entity that unites the fishery subsectors in El Salvador.
"The partnership stems from the relationships that we who work in this sector have, we talked about the importance of the productive chain being united", said the president of the new association, Miguel Peñalva.
"In the first instance, the Association for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in El Salvador (Adepesca) will form ties with government institutions such as the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG ) ", noted an article in Elmundo.com.sv.
Draft legislation presented by the Ministries of Economy and Environment has temporarily suspended procedures related to exploration and metal mining.
A statement from the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador reads:
The legislatative assembly has received a bill requesting the suspension of exploration and metal mining in El Salvador.
The President of the Legislative Assembly, Siegfried Reyes, accompanied by representatives from the Committee on Environment and Climate Change, today received from the ministers of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), Herman Rosa Chavez and Economy (MINEC) Armando Flores, a draft Special Law for the Suspension of the Administrative Procedures related to Project Exploration and Exploitation of Mineral Mining.
Several years after requesting permits, the multinational has received permission to build a new supermarket in Mejicanos, with an investment of $15 million.
Last May, Claudia Ibanez, manager of corporate affairs at Walmart El Salvador, told the media that four years ago, the Ministry of Environment approved the construction. The permit was then sent to the mayor of the municipality for approval to build, but three years passed and no response was given. When it finally came, it was to tell them that they must again get permission from the Ministry of Environment.
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