EPA urges Parliament to pass bill transforming agency into authority

The Environmental Protection Agency is urging Parliament, upon its return on 3 September, to consider the passage of the EPA Bill.

The bill seeks to transform the agency into an authority.

If passed, the environmental protection body will have the legal mandate to prosecute and impose legal sanctions against individuals whose activities negatively affect the environment.

The executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), John Kingsley Krugu, a public health expert, made this statement during an interview with Asaase News.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formally established on 30 December 1994 (Act 490), and was given the responsibility of regulating the environment and ensuring the implementation of government policies on environmental protection.

Krugu explained that anything affecting the environment also impacts public safety, and therefore, the EPA’s powers must enable it to make tough decisions against offenders.

“We’ve decided to strengthen it by transitioning from an agency to an authority, and there are very good provisions within the bill. I personally reviewed this bill and made a personal input into it. It was supposed to be passed before Parliament rose, but for some reasons, it did not happen. The Speaker is recalling Parliament, and the EPA Bill is one of the critical issues on the agenda. We need to take environmental protection seriously and I believe the EPA has laid a strong foundation for it.”

“We have regulations and protocols on everything, with standards, and we work very closely with the Standards Authority, on which I also serve. Working together, we are in a position to protect the environment, and I think the EPA has done a fantastic job over the years. It is a very central government agency, and no policy can be implemented without considering the role of the EPA. As I sit here now, I serve on many boards.”

Krugu reminded Ghanaians of the roles they must play in protecting the environment.

“The EPA is so central that whatever anyone wants to do will be affected by it—whether it impacts water, air, land, or trees. For instance, many people do not know that trees in urban areas are under the regulation of the EPA. This does not even include the entire scope of climate change, energy transition, and all others.”

Meanwhile, the EPA is expected to celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year. According to Krugu, the celebration will consolidate all the agency’s achievements while clearly redefining its future.

Reporting by Mark Smith in the Upper East Region

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