An environmental compliance officer and a cats bill are among the highlights for environment in yesterday?s Throne Speech.

The cats bill is intended to help control the problem of feral cats, making it law to licence and register domestic cats and to spay cats which are not intended for breeding. Environment permanent secretary Brian Rowlinson said the Department of Environmental Protection was currently in the process of contacting major players such as the Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau, the SPCA, veterinarians, farmers and conservationists about proposed drafts for the Act. Since instructions have yet to be drafted he could not expand further on the Cats Bill. He could, however, explain further the idea of an environmental compliance officer.

?This is a new post that will be attached to the Department of Environmental Protection in April of next year, when the next financial year begins. It will fill a significant gap in the duties of that department.?

Those duties include issuing licences, ensuring that existing environmental laws are kept up to date and enforced, that new initiatives are properly implemented and, the ?key thing?, enforcing the Clean Air Act.

According to the Throne Speech a new White Paper on the Marine Environment and Fishing Industry in Bermuda will be presented to the Legislature in the next year, tackling the long-term future of Bermuda?s marine environment. Further to that, amendments to The Fisheries (Anti-Fouling Paints Prohibition) Amendment Regulations 2003 are in the works.

Government also intends to take on the ongoing issue of asbestos with asbestos abatement legislation and are planning a waste management plan to procure a replacement for the recycling plant.

The Throne Speech emphasised the theme of sustainable development for the Island, stating: ?The Government will ensure that development in Bermuda is sustainable and that due care and respect are given to our physical environment, while balancing the needs of the population, economy and infrastructure.?