Some reasons to vote in favor of the H of R P 2105 (Northeastern Ecological Corridor of Puerto Rico)
In the public hearings about the House of Representatives Project 2105 (Northeastern Ecological Corridor) held yesterday (October 26, 2006), these were some of the reasons exposed in order to vote in favor of the Corridor. The tourist projects in the zone that the Corridor would eliminate are actually residential projects given that 2/3 are destined to this purpose. (Lloveras) A good point was that developers were trying to modify actual public policy pertaining to land use without going through formal political channels and thereby obviating public consensus. (RIvera). By these lies, the democratic process was disvirtued (de Soto). If one looks at actual tourist projects during the last years, it is curious to note that they have been paid with bonds which have used fragile ecological terrain as collateral. False profits and 'economic growth' from the project given that, in not finishing it, they only create temporary and artificial construction jobs and guarantee the territory's transfer to private hands. (Aguilo) Most of these tend to be built in flood plains. (Berrios) Worst yet, gradually there is a subtle rezonification of the land given that the presence of living residences de facto eliminates its zonification as 'natural', or DTS. (Rivera Herrera). Although the modern world will not collapse if Puerto Rico goes down the drain, certainly we will all be in a worse situation. The blind dismissal of the importance of environmental problems has historically led to the collapse of societies.(Lloveras). Both Luis Muñoz Marin (PPD) and Luis A. Ferre (PNP) feared that the island would be converted into a concrete beach with a few palm trees of nature. While environmentalists are held up to the high standards of honor and truth, developers repeatedly lie with respect to the granting of permits by environmental associations. (Rivera Herrera)