Tag: Gina Ebanks-Petrie
‘Absurd’ attack on NCA a ‘corrupt initiative’ says Panton
(CNS): Former premier Wayne Panton MP (NEW) has accused the developer lobby of a “corrupt initiative” to influence the UPM into amending the National Conservation Act to allow them free rein. In a scathing attack on his former colleagues, Panton has said the same agenda that drove him from Cabinet is driving the “absurd attack” […]
DoE director continues to fight misinformation
(CNS): The director of the Department of Environment is continuing to correct misinformed critics of the DoE and the National Conservation Council who accuse them of delaying development. Gina Ebanks-Petrie has said, again, that the issues relating to planning delays are a result of the Central Planning Authority’s inaccurate interpretation of the National Conservation Law […]
Delays on EIA for Port Zeus due to developers
(CNS): Frank Schilling, the developer behind the proposed Port Zeus (Brac Marina Village), has incorrectly claimed that the Department of Environment was responsible for delays in producing an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project. However, the DoE explained Wednesday that the nine-month delay to the establishment of the project’s Environmental Assessment Board was due […]
DoE director among Caymanians receiving royal gongs
(CNS): After 40 years of relentless work, often criticised and targeted for her efforts, Gina Ebanks-Petrie, the director of the Department of Environment, has been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours List with an MBE for services to the environment and to the community in the Cayman Islands in recognition of her efforts to […]
NRA’s hydro reports hold up EIA for EWA highway
(CNS): A critical report that will inform the design of the controversial East-West Arterial extension is the only thing holding up the environmental impact assessment for the road. Despite accusations from Cabinet members, including the minister responsible for roads, that the Department of Environment and the need for a full EIA were delaying the start […]
NCC members express deep concern over quarries
(CNS): A quarrying operation on Cayman Brac that has expanded its footprint without planning permission and a separate application for an additional quarry in Bodden Town on Grand Cayman fuelled a list of concerns for the National Conservation Council when it met for the first time this year on Wednesday with its new line-up. The […]
Mangrove conservation more critical than ever
(CNS): Month after month, wetlands are being lost across Grand Cayman paving the way for more and more development, despite the obvious and pressing need to stop removing them and, where possible, to start to replenish what has been lost. Though they were often seen in the past simply as a mosquito-breeding swamp, there is […]
DoE works with UK scientists on local biodiversity
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DoE) will be leading a biodiversity strategy workshop this week in partnership with the UK’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) “to develop a unifying vision and strategic priorities for biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories, including the Cayman Islands” according to a joint press release from the DoE […]
Activist: Biggest problem we have is the MPs
(CNS): Long-time advocate and champion of the natural world, Billy Adam, had the residents of West Bay all in agreement Tuesday evening at the first public meeting on Grand Cayman about the Climate Change Policy. Adam said that Cayman’s biggest problem in protecting its environment was all of the elected officials, a sentiment that appeared […]
Sea inundation inevitable now, officials warn
(CNS): Sea level rise in the Cayman Islands is already having a significant impact on low-lying and coastal properties, and it is going to get far worse over the next 25 years, officials have warned. As the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency begins its public meetings on the draft Climate Change Policy, the most […]
Quarry posing threat to wildlife pond will need EIA
(CNS): The National Conservation Council has confirmed that an environmental impact assessment will be required for a quarry application made by Krock Limited because it poses a threat to the protected area of Meagre Bay Pond in Bodden Town. Department of Environment (DoE) Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie said that a much better understanding of the terrestrial […]
