KOROR (Palau Horizon) — President Tommy Remengesau is proposing legislation that would impose stiffer penalties against firms that damaged Palau’s marine environment.
Remengesau has expressed concern about problems regarding the recovery of compensation each time the country’s coral reefs and marine resources suffer from ship groundings, oil spills, discharges of pollutants and other similar activities.
Recently, a tugboat and a barge carrying rock aggregate for the Compact Road Project damaged the reef outside the Ngeremlengui Passage. (See story next page)
To address these concerns, Remengesau has asked lawmakers to immediately act on the measure, saying the country needs “comprehensive mechanisms” to respond to such events.
“Currently, we have no legislative regime that permits us to value our damaged marine resources. We also have minimal authority under current laws to enforce the payment of damages when such damages occur,” Remengesau said.
He said state governments also need assistance and guidance on their efforts to collect payments for their damaged coral reefs.
“States are often ill-equipped to take effective legal action to obtain compensation for damages and face significant burdens in trying to prove the value of such resources because of the complex economic analysis needed for valuation of individual resources,” he said.
Remengesau added that state governments also lack the means to restore the coral reef and often use the compensation they obtained for other purposes.
Under the legislation, all revenue obtained in accordance with the measure will be deposited in a revolving trust fund.
