Slow environmental agency will get a reorganization
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff – Aug 30, 2007
The Costa Rican environmental protection agency is going to get a makeover.
The organization is the Secretaría Técnica Ambiental, known by its initials SETENA. It is an agency of the Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía.
The agency is widely identified as a bottleneck for any kind of development or project.
Jorge Woodbridge, vice minister of Economía, Industria y Comercio, presented a reorganization plan Wednesday to fellow ministers. He said that the agency now has 800 files pending and that the goal of the plan would be to clear these projects by May 2008.
Among other actions, the reorganization would create electronic files for each application. Most projects in Costa Rica require a review by SETENA. The idea is to simplify and speed up decisions.
