Singapore aims to strengthen haze law, may introduce new legislation where necessary: Grace Fu

Singapore is studying ways to tighten its existing anti-haze legislation and will introduce new laws where necessary, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Tuesday (Oct 27).

"The objective is to address enforcement gaps, strengthen corporate accountability, and enhance our ability to investigate and take decisive action against those responsible for transboundary haze," she said.

"We are also prepared to use a wider range of legal, regulatory and economic measures," said Fu at the Sustainable Procurement Forum held by the Singapore Environment Council.

Addressing the recent haze arising from forest and land fires in Indonesia, the minister stressed that companies must be responsible for the environmental impact of their operations and supply chains.

Ten Singapore-registered palm oil or forestry companies with associated land concessions in Indonesia were issued notices under Section 10 of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) on Oct 23.

The Act requires companies to provide information on their linkages with associated firms, their land concessions, as well as fire preventive measures and/or any firefighting efforts taken by them and/or their associated companies in Indonesia.

Fu noted two challenges in cross-border enforcement efforts.

One, she said it can be difficult to ensure that overseas companies co-operate with investigations, especially when they do not comply and their officers remain outside of Singapore.

"For example, we have consistently expressed openness to working with Indonesian authorities who share our common objective of holding responsible companies accountable," she added.

"This posture, position will not and has not changed, even as we press ahead to make adjustments."

Another difficulty lies in gathering and verifying evidence from overseas.

The minister explained: "We also need to establish the relevant corporate and operational links, including who owns or controls the land, the relationships between different companies, and what steps were taken to prevent and fight the fires."

As Singapore authorities cannot simply enter another jurisdiction to conduct its own investigations or gather evidence, independently verifying information or documents provided by an overseas company can also pose a challenge.

Fu pointed out that the companies named under THPA have faced scrutiny in both the financial and public space.

"The increased scrutiny has already prompted companies to respond publicly and set out their positions ," she said.

"The broader point is that companies are accountable not only to regulators. Investors, financiers, customers and the wider public increasingly expect companies to demonstrate responsible environmental practices."

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

新加坡永续发展及环境部长傅海燕周二（10月27日）表示，新加坡正在研究如何加强现有的反雾霾立法，并将在必要时出台新的法律。

“我们的目标是弥补执法漏洞，加强企业问责制，并提高我们调查和对跨境雾霾责任人采取果断行动的能力，”她说。

傅先生在新加坡环境理事会举办的可持续采购论坛上表示：“我们也准备采取更广泛的法律、监管和经济措施。”

针对印尼近期森林和土地火灾造成的烟雾问题，部长强调，企业必须对其运营和供应链对环境的影响负责。

10 月 23 日，新加坡向 10 家在新加坡注册的棕榈油或林业公司发出通知，这些公司在印度尼西亚拥有相关的土地特许权，违反了《跨境烟霾污染法》（THPA）第 10 条。

该法案要求公司提供有关其与关联公司、土地特许权以及其和/或其关联公司在印度尼西亚采取的防火措施和/或任何消防工作的信息。

傅指出跨境执法工作面临两大挑战。

她表示，要确保海外公司配合调查可能很困难，尤其是当这些公司不配合调查，而且其官员仍身处新加坡境外时。

她补充说：“例如，我们一直表示愿意与印尼当局合作，因为他们与我们有着共同的目标，那就是追究相关企业的责任。”

“即使我们努力做出调整，这种姿态和立场也不会改变，也从未改变过。”

另一个难点在于收集和核实来自海外的证据。

部长解释说：“我们还需要确定相关的公司和运营联系，包括谁拥有或控制土地、不同公司之间的关系，以及为预防和扑灭火灾采取了哪些措施。”

由于新加坡当局不能简单地进入另一个司法管辖区进行自己的调查或收集证据，因此独立核实海外公司提供的信息或文件也可能构成挑战。

傅先生指出，THPA名单上的公司在金融和公共领域都受到了审查。

她表示：“日益严格的审查已经促使各公司公开回应并阐明立场。”

“更广泛的意义在于，企业不仅要对监管机构负责。投资者、金融家、客户和广大公众越来越期望企业展现出负责任的环境实践。”

lim.kewei@asiaone.com