SANTO DOMINGO.- The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources reported this Monday that it has responded to more than 600 applications for environmental permits during the first 30 days of Minister Paíno Henríquez's administration.
These actions resulted in over RD$108 billion in investments, distributed across sectors such as tourism, construction, real estate, renewable energy, free trade zones, and agribusiness, among others, representing a significant positive impact on the national economy, according to a press release from the entity.
According to the records of the Vice Ministry of Environmental Management, the files that concluded their environmental evaluation process by the governing entity of the environment were 613, detailed with 4 environmental licenses (category A); 31 environmental permits (category B); 198 environmental certificates (category C); 204 certificates of minimum impact (CRIM), which are within category D; 74 that did not require authorization, 47 closed and 55 renewals, for a total of RD 108,164,770,920.
Additionally, the institution reported that it issued 49 Terms of Reference (TORs) for projects to be executed with a projected investment cost of RD$47,289,128,758. The TORs are written requirements that establish the scope and minimum content required for environmental studies. Once issued, the project manager and/or developer must prepare their environmental study, which will serve as the basis for granting or denying authorization.
Paíno Henríquez said that during his first 30 days at the institution he has put all his effort into improving and optimizing the transformations dictated by the Government, giving continuity to aspects of improvements to the ministry and important projects.
"The idea is to continue transforming the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources into the most modern institution in the country, optimizing existing processes and focusing on better protection of natural resources and the environment throughout the Dominican Republic," he stated.
In that regard, he recalled that, from the first day of his administration, he has implemented a policy of "zero tolerance against environmental crimes; applying the law against environmental criminals," with the assistance of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for the Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources, the National Environmental Protection Service (SENPA) , and other institutions.
"It doesn't matter the nature of the infraction or the nature of the offender, whether small, medium or large," warned the official, who added that operations against those who violate the provisions of the Environmental Law, 64-00, have been doubled .
For his part, Lenin Bueno, Vice Minister of Environmental Management, said that these achievements are in addition to 49 terms of reference and 55 renewals approved, in just 30 days.
He explained that the permitting process in the Environment Ministry begins when a duly constituted person or company registers through the web platform https://serviciosdigitales.ambiente.gob.do, regardless of the device, where the application for any environmental permit begins.
"Six initial requirements are requested: commercial registration, property title, cadastral map or survey, descriptive report, site plan, and estimated budget. Then, during the permit evaluation process, they may or may not request additional information if necessary," said the deputy minister.
“It’s important that these documents are in the correct formats and visually clear so that the prequalification team accepts these six requirements as valid and complete. Only if they are correct will the evaluation process of your application begin. After everything is accepted as valid and complete, the project is granted prequalification based on our regulations and Law 64-00, which divides them into four types of permits, depending on the environmental impact: A, which corresponds to an 'environmental license,' for projects with high potential impacts; B, for moderate projects; and C and D, which correspond to an 'environmental certificate' and 'minimal impact certification,' respectively,” Bueno noted.
He assured that, in order to continue improving processes, the Vice Ministry of Environmental Management is seeking to launch a new environmental policy regulation, which will simplify procedures, implement permit digitization templates, use artificial intelligence (AI), and strengthen the areas, with the integration of more technicians, which will also represent better quality in services.
