KUALA LUMPUR: The Environment and Water Ministry is mulling setting up an Environment Commission to hold polluters accountable and pay for the damage that they cause.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said in this response to a question from Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Bakri) who suggested the ministry use Section 51(1)(a) of the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Bill 2022 to compel developers to pay the Department of Environment (DoE) to get their EIA reports reviewed.
He said the ministry had discussed with the International Trade and Industry Ministry on the move, but at the moment had no plans to do so since it could burden companies with more operational costs.
"But, in the long run, the ministry wants to establish an Environment Commission to oversee and ensure that polluters take responsibility and pay for their actions," he said in his winding-up speech on the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Bill 2022 at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Tuan Ibrahim said the DoE had only 1,132 enforcement officers nationwide, which was inadequate to curb pollution.
He said the ministry was looking to set up more enforcement branches after the amendment was passed so that authorities could swiftly obtain evidence of pollution and press charges against polluters.
The Environmental Quality (Amendment) Bill 2022 was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday and the second reading took place today.
The bill was passed by the lower house of Parliament.