PRESERVING OUR
ENVIRONMENT:
Sustaining Our Quality of Life
For nearly a decade, the PLP government has
chosen to ignore some of the most serious
environmental issues facing Bermuda:
- They have saddled Bermudians with a
$60 million-plus bill for cleaning up
dangerous toxic waste on Baselands
properties, and they have no plan for
remediation.
- They are five years late in producing
an updated Bermuda Development
Plan, which should provide clear
guidelines for future development.
- They are allowing hotel and housing
developments to proceed through
special development orders without
following normal planning procedures
and without adequate consultation.
The United Bermuda Party believes that
government must set the standards for
environmental awareness and action, plan for
the future and enforce the law. The time has
come to draw the line around what we want
for the future of Bermuda and our children.
The next United Bermuda Party government
will:
- Implement an aggressive Save Open
Spaces policy to preserve and protect
our environment and neighbourhoods by
- Establishing a Save Open Spaces
trust dedicated to the
preservation and protection of the
environment through the
purchase of key open spaces.
- Seeding the fund with a Government
contribution of $10 million.
- Growing the fund through measures
requiring fair contributions from
developers, companies and individuals
who benefit from carrying out largescale
developments.
- Enabling landowners to sell development
rights to the SOS fund.
- Managing and growing the fund through
independent trustees guided by the
articles of the Save Open Spaces trust.
- Expanding the concept of open spaces
to include community areas.
- Ensure that special development orders are
issued only in cases of true “national interest,” a position that must be clearly articulated and
discussed by the community.
- Encourage new commercial
development on brown-field sites.
- Require environmental-impact
assessments for all major development
projects.
- Update the 10-year Bermuda
Development Plan, which was due in
2002.
- Deliver on Marsh Folly Park, which will
be part of the North Hamilton
redevelopment plan.
- In conjunction with BELCO, develop a
long-term strategy for the development
and deployment of alternate energy
sources.
- Promote the “Polluter Pays Principle,” through proper enforcement and increased penalties
for littering, illegal
dumping and other
actions dangerous
to the
environment.
- Commission a report on
the impact and
management of rising
sea levels due to global
warming.
- Incorporate
environmental decisions
into government
decision-making.
- Improve the operating
efficiency of the
Planning Department.
The next United Bermuda Party
government will provide incentives to
Bermudians to encourage conservation
and sustainability. We will:
- Eliminate licensing fees for
electric and hybrid vehicles and
reduce fees on small, class A
cars.
- Eliminate duty on energy-saving
products such as compact
fluorescent bulbs.
- Reduce land tax on homes or
businesses that incorporate
solar or photovoltaic energy generating
systems.
