Environment lets the rich ravage forests, but jails farmers: Senator

Pedernales, Dominican Republic.- Pedernales province senatorDionis Sanchez on Thursday railed against the Environment Ministry, for allowing“massive” lumbering in Oviedo, while arresting farmers for cutting 100 woodenposts to fence their plots, protect their goats, pigs and cattle.

He said they won’t allow Environment’s abuse against farmersany longer. "We don’t accept any permits to pull fence posts out of thisprovince, there’s a supposed green forest management program here, which is alie, they’re lying, they kill the trees with injections."

The visibly peeved lawmaker said hundreds of thousands ofposts are cut and then taken to cities and sold for 300 pesos each, but farmersand citizens are jailed for using them in farmlands or to fence a lot.

He said he receives complaints from constituents daily,while "the powerful walk around as if they own the place."

Speaking in an Oviedo town hall meeting, Sanchez demandedsolutions to the region’s shortage of water, health problems, and ruined roadsand sidewalks.