The Goa Government has cleared the decks for the formation of an Environment and Energy Audit Bureau (EAEB), which will identify sensitive areas of energy and environment conservation as well as assist the administration in carbon credit trading and related matters.
The formation of the EAEB was announced in the Goa Cess on Products and Substances Causing Pollution (Green Cess) Act, which was brought into action by the BJP-led coalition Government on Tuesday.
The EAEB will “identify sensitive areas of energy and environment conservation and recommend appropriate measures and solutions for reducing the carbon footprint and suggest measures for deriving benefits under carbon credit trading and related matters.”
The Act which was tabled in the State legislative Assembly during the last session also imposes a green cess of “not less than two per cent of the product value” on all polluting products which over the years have eaten into Goa’s environment. It also penalises polluters who fail to the cess by imposing a fine of `1 lakh. The Act covers all products which leave behind a carbon footprint due to “handling, consumption, utilisation, transportation, combustion or movement causing pollution of the lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and other environmental resources”.
The cess will also be imposed on all products which “cause emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases or discharge of other types of affluent including asphalts, lubricants, naptha, waxes and other hydrocarbon compounds.”
The legislation could directly affect the handling of coal at the State’s only major port, the Mormugao port Trust (MPT), whose coal handling business is presently affected due to public protests and stringent action by the State pollution control authority. The new law will also cover the other polluting industries like mining, transportation and processing of iron ore in its ambit.
Massive pollution, emission and discharge of effluents was leaving a carbon footprint Goa’s environment and “measures have to be taken to identify sensitive areas of energy and environment conservation and take such appropriate measures and solution for reducing carbon footprint,” the act says.