THE ENVIRONMENT IS FRONT AND CENTRE

Last week two events came together which show that the Bahamas Government is as serious on the domestic stage about the environment as they are on the international stage. On Wednesday 14 April 2024, the Minister for the Environment Vaughn Miller and his Minister of State Zane Lightbourne visited the Fox Hill Constituency, to begin with, Urban Renewal the process of moving derelict cars from around the neighbourhood.  Then in the House of Assembly, the Minister moved an amendment to the Environment Act to cause fixed penalty notices to be usable to fine people for environmental crimes.  This is long overdue as the system of using a summons to get people to court who create environmental nuisances has not been working.  The Fox Hill neighbourhood is littered with roadside garages, and the MP has been trying to get them removed to no avail; now, with the possibility of thousands of dollars in fines when you get a ticket, this may help to move the recalcitrant roadside garage owners along.