The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ENVIRONMENTALISTS are more concerned than ever about the safety of Bimini’s marine environment in view of a developer’s “quick” dredging of over half a million cubic yards of material.

The controversial dredging was completed on Sunday according to a site inspector report filed by attorneys of Resorts World Bimini (RWB) as part of a Privy Council hearing into the matter.

The Bimini Blue Coalition’s (BBC) fight to prevent RWB from dredging until the conclusion of a judicial review of the project has therefore come to an abrupt end.

This news follows months of controversy over the propriety of actions by the government and RWB and the agenda of the BBC in relation to the project.

RWB informed Bimini residents in April that it would conduct dredging activities on 220,000 cubic yards of material over the course of two months.

Although it was later discovered that the government granted the resort permission to dredge an additional 652,000 cubic yards of material, the resort never gave an update on how long it would take to complete the new scope of dredging.

Environmentalists yesterday said it is worrying that 874,000 cubic yards of material was dredged in less than a month while RWB previously said it would use two months to dredge 220,000 cubic yards of material.

The Tribune understands that the BBC will begin studying the dredging’s impact on the environment as soon as possible.

The environmental group was appealing the Supreme Court’s decision to discharge an injunction on dredging activities in the Privy Council yesterday when attorneys for the developers produced the report confirming that dredging has come to an end.

It is unknown if the Privy Council, which dismissed the case, did so in order to uphold the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter or because dredging activities had already finished.

The council’s reasons for its ruling are expected to be released to the public today.

Dredging in North Bimini as part of the construction of a 1,000 foot pier, man-made island and cruise ship terminal took place over 22 days, according to The Tribune’s records.

Dredging first began on May 16, but was halted on May 22 after the Privy Council granted the BBC’s injunction request. Dredging restarted on May 30 after the Supreme Court lifted the Privy Council’s injunction.

Both RWB and the BBC have adamantly argued the validity of their stance.

Throughout the controversy, both sides claimed to have the support of most Bimini residents.

The Tribune interviewed numerous Bimini residents in May and most expressed disillusionment over the benefits of development projects in Bimini.

In a statement released yesterday, RWB public relations director Michelle Malcolm said: “Resorts World Bimini is pleased with the court outcome which was consistent with our position.

“We will continue to construct the cruise pier as expeditiously as possible while providing Biminites with jobs and working to complete the full destination project. The pier is scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer with the new marina hotel marked for a late fall opening.”

For his part, BBC lawyer Fred Smith expressed disappointment in the outcome of proceedings. “BBC was fearful – and it has proven rightly so – that the dredging which BBC was trying to prevent until trial of its judicial review has now in fact been confirmed as completed by the developers at the Privy Council today. Bimini Blue is, of course, disappointed but is committed to continuing its judicial review.

“The lack of respect to our legal system by the government has been appalling. As with Guana Cay, Wilson City power plant and now Bimini, by keeping the permitting process secret until work has actually started makes it almost impossible to effectively access the judicial system in time to protect local and environmental rights.

“This is why the Bahamas desperately needs an effective Freedom of Information Act so that the Office of the Prime Minister and the Bahamas Investment Authority cannot secretly enter into Heads of Agreements with foreign developers, fail to engage in public consultation or any of the requirements of the Planning and Subdivisions Act, etc, and then push a project through by doing the big environmental damage up front, making it too late to then stop.”