EMA Hosts Barbados' Environmental Protection Department

Drainage is also seeking to review and finalize its EnvironmentalManagement Act.The group was especially interested in the EMA’s structure of thepermitting and fee collection system for environmental noise; the processof dealing with environmental noise violations; the ambient air qualitymonitoring programme, and the regulatory mechanisms for water qualitycontrol.Why the EMA? As T&T has already established its environmental noiseand ambient air quality monitoring programme, they found it appropriateto obtain information on how the EMA deals with these issues.The EMA applauded efforts of the EPD, the main regulatory agency forenvironmental issues in Barbados, at improving its technical capabilityin environmental management and was pleased to facilitate a study tourfor its four officers.The tour which took place from January 12 – 15, 2009 consisted of sitevisits to the Pt. Lisas Air Monitoring Station, Atlantic LNG’s andAlutrint’s compound, in-house presentations on the EMA’s NoisePollution Control Rules, 2001 and Water Pollution Control (Amendment)Rules 2006 and discussions on the EM Act (2000).According to Headley, “The Barbados’ Environmental ProtectionDepartment is still under a Ministry and is not a statutory, independentbody like the EMA. Unlike us, the EMA is an authority and has certainmechanisms to implement in an autonomous way.”He also revealed that Barbados’ Environmental Management Act is stillat a draft stage and they came to the EMA seeking technical assistance