Deputy Minister of Environment Gayane Gabrielyan and Head of the Legal Department of the Ministry Khachatur Khachatryan held a press conference at the "Armenpress" news agency today.
During the press conference, the draft Law of the Republic of Armenia "On Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On Environmental Impact Assessment and Expertise" and what new regulations and changes the new draft proposes were presented.
The speakers touched upon a number of changes established by the draft law, including:
After changing the law of environmental impact and expertise, all hydroelectric power plants under construction in Armenia, regardless of their capacity, must undergo an environmental impact assessment.
In addition to the law on environmental impact and expertise, the developed package proposes amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences, the Law on Subsoil, the law on Licensing and the Code on state Duty.
The liability provided for by the current Code is 50-100 times the minimum wage, a fine of up to 5000 times may be imposed on this project if the business entity, after warning the Inspection Body, registering the violation and the fine, does not submit the EIA for examination again:
The new legislative regulation also establishes liability for deviation from the norms provided for by the examination, non-fulfillment of the intended conditions, in exchange for which the current legislation does not provide for any liability.
If there is a need for more than two public hearings, the law does not prohibit it, it can be done.
It is expected that this new draft will be included in the agenda of the autumn session of parliament.