The Telegram (St. John’s)

January 19, 2002

Environmental groups in the Central American country of Belize are preparing to seek an injunction against Newfoundland-based Fortis Inc. to stop all construction at its proposed Chalillo dam site. Fortis president and CEO Stanley Marshall said publicly last year that his company was ready to start construction this month, pending final
approval from the Belize government. But according to BACONGO, a coalition of Belizean conservation groups, no final approval or permits have been granted to Fortis and any work at the dam site is illegal.

BACONGO has repeatedly urged Belize’s environment minister to enforce the country’s environmental assessment procedures, which would require further studies and public hearings before a final decision. The appeals, however, have been ignored.

Fortis has also come under fire from one of North America’s largest environmental law organizations, the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council. If completed,
the Chalillo dam would flood one of Central America’s last rain forest havens for endangered wildlife, including freshwater crocodiles, tapirs, jaguars, howler monkeys, and the scarlet macaw, fewer than 100 of which remain in Belize.

Contract awarded Another Canadian company, AMEC, was recently awarded the contract to design the 50-metre high dam, according to news reports from Belize.* Prior to this, AMEC received almost $500,000 Cdn from the Canadian International Development Agency to conduct an environmental assessment of the Chalillo dam. The report dismisses the recommendation from British wildlife researchers that the dam should not be built because it will cause irreparable harm to the region’s wildlife.
* NOTE: January 22, 2002 – David Paterson, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs of Toronto-based AMEC informed Probe International that the report from Belize about AMEC winning the design contract was incorrect. Paterson clarified that AMEC is preparing tender documents on behalf of Belize Electricity Company for the EPC
(Engineer-Procure-Construct) Design and Build Contract but that AMEC is not bidding for this contract.