All operations relating to industry, commerce, transport, construction or institutions which produce any contaminants (air, noise, water) are required to apply to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for environmental authorisation.

A press release from the agency yesterday stated that, in addition, any person who operates a facility or proposes to operate a facility that generates, treats, stores, disposes or transports hazardous wastes is required to submit a notice of activity and an application for environmental authorization to the EPA.

Households that do not contain industrial or commercial facilities, airplanes, temporarily placed building machinery, and construction of individual homes are exempt from this requirement, the release noted.

Developers who were granted approvals from the EPA or have applications pending are not required to register since they will be automatically placed on the register.

A registration fee of $4,000 is being charged for processing and updating this register. The registration forms which were provided earlier are still available at the EPA, Regional Democratic Council offices and Municipal Council offices, or can be downloaded from the agency's website: http://www.epaguyana.org

Failure to register may result in a person being liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than $30,000 or more than $80,000.

Non-registrants are being urged to register immediately as the EPA will be moving to the courts to take legal action against defaulters, the release stressed.

According to the release, the passing of the Environmental Protection Regulations for air, noise, water and hazardous wastes management and authorisation by President Bharrat Jagdeo in December 2000 was another step by the EPA towards fulfilling its mandate of management and conservation of the environment.

Inputs into the regulations were made by the public and private sector at consultations held in May and June 2000, the release said further. And there was consensus on the need for such environmental regulations and on their content, except for a few amendments. However, stakeholders expressed concerns about the ability of existing facilities to comply immediately with the regulations and to bear the cost involved for compliance.

Recognising the concerns raised at the consultations, the release said, the EPA will be using a phased approach for the implementation of the regulations. With the passing of these regulations, the EPA will focus on registering all existing operators who discharge or cause or permit the discharge of effluent; and emit air contaminants.

Within the first three years, focus will be on public awareness, information gathering, capacity building and training for existing operators and officers of the agency, the release stated.

Meanwhile, the EPA disclosed that to date 320 of the estimated 550 businesses have registered. The agency commenced verification of existing industries in October 2001 to ensure accuracy of information submitted on the registration forms.

Ten categories of industries have been identified as priority.

So far 45 industries were verified from the top three priority categories of sawmill, woodworking/furniture workshops and rice processing.

The verification process will continue next month and will run for the rest of the year until all businesses would have been dealt with.

The release added that on agreement with a compliance schedule and recommendations of the EPA, an environmental authorisation will be issued to registered businesses. The authorisations, usually with a 3-5 year timeline, will include terms and conditions for environmental management.