Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Bakri), a former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister, said the current practice saw private developers pay consultants to conduct EIAs for their projects and produce their assessment reports.

“Because of that, almost all EIA reports will say that these projects are feasible because consultants will provide views that are favourable to the developers paying them.

“Therefore, it is important that the DoE, not the developer, be the party that pays these (consultants) who conduct the EIAs,” said Yeo when debating an amendment to the Environmental Quality Act, 1974.

Yeo proposed that the water and environment ministry use Section 51(1)(a) in the amended bill to compel developers that require EIA approvals to pay the DoE to look into their EIA reports and to approve or reject the project.

This payment, said Yeo, can then be used by the ministry to pay independent consultants or to hire more staff to conduct EIAs so that EIA reports submitted by developers can be evaluated in a more comprehensive manner.

She also urged the ministry to amend the EIA guidelines to make detailed EIAs accessible to the public, environmental NGOs, interest groups and elected representatives.