Singapore moves to toughen haze law after 10 firms get notices
What's next: Parliament is set to debate changes letting authorities compel independent assessments and punish noncompliance.
Singapore is moving to strengthen its anti-haze law after issuing notices to 10 Singapore-registered companies over possible links to fires in Indonesia that sent smoke across the city-state. Senior Minister K. Shanmugam said company leaders met the government on Oct. 28 and agreed to cooperate, including with voluntary reviews of their operations and supply chains. Proposed amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act would give legal force to that process by allowing the National Environment Agency to require firms to appoint assessors and provide access to records and premises, with failure to comply becoming an offense. The debate comes as lawmakers press for answers on enforcement gaps, with no fines or convictions under the 2014 law so far.