No separate Environmental Clearance required to produce additional Ethanol from B-heavy molasses: Javadekar
New Delhi, November 5, 2019: Giving further benefits to farmers and sugar industry, the Central Government has declared that no separate environmental clearance is required to produce additional ethanol from B-heavy molasses as it does not contribute to the pollution load.
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekarannounced this in a tweet today.
Prakash Javadekar tweeted, “In yet another major decision for the benefit of farmers & sugar industry,central govt. has declared that no separate environment clearance is required to produce additional ethanol from ‘B’ heavy molasses as it doesn’t add to the pollution load. “
To obviate the need for undertaking fresh Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or public consultation in all such cases of increase in production capacity, the government has given a clarification relating to issuance of environmental clearance in order to facilitate the sugar mills to undertake additional production of ethanol from B-heavy Molasses in place of using C-heavy Molasses without any increase in the total pollution load.
It has been clarified that all such proposals intended to undertake additional production of ethanol from B-heavy Molasses/Sugar cane juice/ Sugar syrup/ Sugar, may be considered under the provisions of 7 (ii) (a) of EIA Notification, 2006 by the concerned Expert Appraisal Committee for grant of environmental clearance.
