Env’t Levy funds not being misused in absence of Climate Change board

Premier Andrew Fahie has stated that the territory’s environmental levy fund has not been misused in any way.

The government’s use of those monies came into question because of the Premier’s move to sack non-government members of the Climate Change Trust Fund when he entered office in 2019. And while environmental levies continue to be collected, the board — which oversees how the funds would be used — was never reinstated.

Premier Fahie told reporters at a recent press conference that the monies being collected for the Fund are still there.

He further said that once the Climate Change Trust Fund board comes into force, they will use those funds accordingly as the law dictates.

“So it has not been misused, or it hasn’t been used at all other than for what it was legislated to do,“ Premier Fahie stated.

Premier Fahie did not give any indication about when the new board is expected to come into force, even though it has been three years since board members were asked to resign.

The law states that the environmental levies collected would be used to facilitate environmental protection and improvement, climate change, as well as the maintenance and development of tourist sites and other tourism-related activities.