Date enacted 5 August 2014 Date commenced 25 September 2014 | Date assented to 10 September 2014 | |
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Enacted by Parliament of Singapore | ||
The Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 (THCP) is a statute of the Parliament of Singapore that criminalizes conduct which causes or contributes to haze pollution in Singapore, and to provide for related matters such as deterrence. The law is designed specifically to allow legal in suing companies for environmental pollution.
Contents
Overview
The THCP is an Act to deter firms or entities in or outside Singapore from taking part in activities that contribute to transboundary haze affecting Singapore. The law targets companies, not countries, which pollute and those that condone pollution by other companies or individuals that they have management control over. Failure to prevent or stop burning may hence lead the culprit to being guilty of an offence under the law, unless steps are taken to stamp out the practice.
The National Environment Agency with the courts are empowered thus in obtaining information on their concessions upon request without the need of relying on the Indonesian authorities, as well as imprisoning and/or fining targeted companies or individuals which pollute, or whose subsidiaries and/or suppliers pollute.
Uses of the Act
With the onset of the El Nino again in 2015, the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act allowed the building of local capacity in dealing with forest fires in Indonesian provinces such as Jambi and Riau. The effectiveness of the new law may depend on the ability to accurately identify errant firms or entities, as well as on law enforcement and cooperation from the Indonesian counterparts. Losses in 2015 estimated at S$700 million were suggested by Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli due to the haze.