The Transboundary Haze Pollution (Amendment) Bill was introduced under a presidential Certificate of Urgency to allow passage in a single parliamentary sitting. In addition to sharply elevated fines, the changes permit courts to strip financial gains and allow the National Environment Agency to mandate that suspected firms fund private assessments of their operations. Ahead of the legislative push, the agency issued notices to 10 Indonesian firms for fire prevention and, for the first time, demanded concession and corporate data from 10 Singapore-registered companies.
Key points
Courts will gain the authority to calculate penalties based directly on the profits entit…: Courts will gain the authority to calculate penalties based directly on the profits entities gained or losses they avoided.
Regulators are expanding scrutiny to domestic firms by demanding information on corporate…: Regulators are expanding scrutiny to domestic firms by demanding information on corporate ties and Indonesian land concessions from 10 Singapore-registered entities.
The government utilized a rare Certificate of Urgency to fast-track enforcement powers wh…: The government utilized a rare Certificate of Urgency to fast-track enforcement powers while attempting to respect international sovereignty limits.
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Companies linked to haze may also face financial and commercial repercussions separate from criminal liability.
SINGAPORE: Companies linked to transboundary haze could face fines of up to S$20 million (US$16 million) and curbs on business dealings under amendments to Singapore’s haze law proposed on Wednesday (Nov 4).
The Transboundary Haze Pollution (Amendment) Bill was introduced and read a second time under a rare Certificate of Urgency signed by the president, following Singapore's worst haze episode in more than a decade.
The certificate allows a Bill to be introduced, debated and passed through all three readings in a single parliamentary sitting.
The last Bill passed this way was the Insurance (Amendment) Bill in 2024, which blocked German insurer Allianz from taking a stake in Singapore’s Income Insurance.
In a press release on Wednesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act (THPA) – which was enacted in 2014 – would give authorities more tools to investigate commercial links and hold entities accountable. They would also allow earlier intervention and make enforcement easier.
Environmental groups are sounding the alarm over England's irreplaceable habitats being compromised by aggressive national construction mandates. They warn that policy loopholes and a new classification for lower-quality open land allow developers to encroach directly on historic forests. This friction between national building priorities and conservation threatens to degrade crucial biodiversity refuges that have endured for centuries.
Authorities in New Delhi are struggling to contain dangerous smog levels across the metropolis despite implementing recent curbs on construction and vehicular movement. Atmospheric reactions involving agricultural fertiliser, industrial output, and traffic emissions are creating a hazardous environment for more than 30 million residents. Public health concerns are mounting ahead of the Deepavali holiday, an annual event that historically triggers severe air degradation through firework displays.
Falling temperatures, calm winds, and shifting air currents carrying agricultural smoke from Punjab and Haryana are trapping hazardous pollutants over the capital region. Officials have enacted Stage II emergency curbs to restrict vehicular and industrial emissions, warning of severe health risks for children and elderly residents. The timing is critical as impending festival celebrations threaten to drive toxic particulate concentrations even higher.