Koror, Palau – On January 27, 2017, the Palau Environmental Quality Protection Board held a one-day retreat to the rock islands for their Board and Staff to reflect on the work performed the previous year, and identify new goals for this upcoming year. EQPB Executive Officer, Roxanne Blesam, believes that this retreat provided an opportunity for the Board and Staff to focus on the objectives necessary to fulfill the EQPB mandate to protect and conserve the quality of Palau’s pristine environment.
[restrict]
While the retreat was only for one day, the EQPB team was able to end the day with a sense of accomplishment and a clear direction for the new year. During the retreat, Executive Officer Blesam highlighted a few goals for her Staff to work towards and EQPB Chairman, Benjamin Yobech, likened the group to a baseball team, highlighting the need for teamwork and cooperation to achieve success.
The EQPB office deals with various commercial, residential, governmental, and non-governmental permit applications, and are mandated by law to uphold the laws protecting our immaculate environment, while simultaneously encouraging development that is congruent to National policies. During FY2016, the office reviewed over 300 permits and about 20 Environmental Assessments. The office has been quite successful in expediting permit applications to about 2 weeks of processing time, pending Board approval during the Board meetings held every 2 weeks. This EQPB office is continuously exploring other avenues to improve the permitting process. These are some of the topics discussed during the EQPB retreat, and the result is a clearer direction for the EQPB Board and Staff as they continue in this the new year.
The EQPB would like to express their appreciation to Blue Bay Petroleum, Inc., IP&E Palau, Inc., and the Ministry of Education for their kind support in ensuring that the EQPB retreat is a success.
If there are questions or concerns, please call EQPB at 488-1639/3600 or email to eqpb@palaunet.com. [/restrict]