House votes 414-2 to ditch the Senate’s Clean Air Management Bill

The House of Representatives overwhelming voted 414:2 today to kill the Senate’s version of the Clean Air Management Bill, which was allegedly watered down to favour of the business sector and to centralise the management mechanism.

Government and opposition MPs disagreed with the Senate’s amendments to the original version of the House-approved bill, also known as the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Bill, by changing the structure of the provincial-level clean air management committee, making the governor of each province the committee chair instead of the mayor of each Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO).

This structural change by the Senate was seen as the centralisation of clean air management by government bureaucracy, instead of decentralisation to the elected local administrative organisations.

The MPs also pointed out that the Senate had deleted a provision in the original bill which requires potential air polluters to deposit an assurance payment, which would be refunded to them if they can prove afterwards that they did not cause air pollution through the burning of waste or had properly disposed of the wastes without causing air pollution.

The provision, said the MPs, was designed to solve air pollution at its sources and to encourage potential polluters to be aware of air cleanliness.

Moreover, the MPs said the Senate had changed the composition of the clean air management committees of different levels by giving more decision-making powers to the representatives of the business sector, among them the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries.

The Senate had also substantially cut the maximum amount of fine to be levied on the major polluters, such as big industry, from 50 million baht to just five million baht.

The MPs have proposed the setting up of a joint House-Senate panel to scrutinise the Senate’s version of the Clean Air Management Bill, to ensure the utmost benefits for the people. The House has proposed ten MPs to sit in the joint panel, four from the Bhumjaithai party, two each from the People’s party and Pheu Thai party and one each from the Democrat and Kla Tham parties.

Democrat MP Karndee Leopairote told the House that the Senate’s amended bill risks offending the principle of good governance and conflict of interests. She noted that the Senate’s removal of the PRTR concept from the bill would allow the transfer of industrial waste and their disposal outside treatment facilities to escape legal oversight and threaten the environment.