by Rod Hughes

Although developers and environmentalists are often on opposite sides of an ideologican fence, both emphatically agree on one point: The Environment Ministry system that approves or rejects environmental impact studies just does not work. But that may change, the English-language weekly The Tico Times reported recently.

For the developer, the up to two years that the National Technical Secretariate (SETENA) takes to review an impact study is a money drain, often with overseas investors tapping their feet impatiently, ignorant of the bureaucratic obstacles that block a project. And environmentalists charge that many developers ignore their promises made in the approved study.

But the government promises a whopping 147% budget increase for SETENA, curing its status as a sadly understaffed orphan of the Environment Ministry. Jorge Woodbridge, Deputy Minister of the Economy, explained to the paper that the new funding will double the SETENA staff, noting that the agency had only 35 employees to review the 4,000 development plans submitted last year. And only 11 of those workers are full-time, he added.

The white-haired, patrician Woodbridge knows business, having been for years president of the Chamber of Industries. He promised the changes by September. Most stunning of his promises: that the 800 pending applications would be eliminated by next May. “Processing will be cut down to five weeks,” he told the paper, instead of the current six months to two years.

But the envionmentalists will also be happy if the new plan works, because the budget includes on-site follow ups to see that the developers keep their word. This will also make the scrupulous, honest developers happy, who have all too often watched while the unscrupulous did as they pleased without sanction. Environment Minister Roberto Dobles admitted that of the 16,000 projects approved since SETENA’s creation in 1995, almost none have been visited to ensure compliance.

Woodbridge said he devoted five weeks to aid the Environment Ministry with these reforms. Businessmen, engineers and nature lovers alike hope that his time was well spent.