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Petroleum Commission Bill to be passed by August
…after scrutiny in Special Select Committee
The Petroleum Commission Bill 2017 is expected to be passed into law by the National Assembly before the annual recess begins in August. This is according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman
According to a statement released by the Ministry, yesterday, the Bill which is the legal architecture for the Petroleum Commission of Guyana, is set to be taken to a Special Select Committee after tabling in the National Assembly tomorrow.
The government entity said that the Bill has been the subject of consultation for a number of months. It will be laid in the House by the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman.
The Bill is expected to undergo further scrutiny and refining during a period in the Special Select Committee despite already undergoing a number of changes following talks with stakeholders.
Based on a copy of the draft legislation, the Bill has 51 clauses and will essentially create the Commission which will have responsibility for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the policies, laws and agreements for petroleum operations.
Besides this, the Commission will also have responsibility for ensuring compliance with health, safety and environmental standards and to ensure local content and local participation in all of the activities.
Further, the Commission will have an advisory role to the subject Minister regarding matters related to the operation of the industry. It will be managed by a Board of Directors that will comprise experts in various fields as well as representatives of civil society and the parliamentary opposition.
On the issue of research, the Ministry said that the Commission will also ensure that it accesses the necessary research into the industry so as to not be reliant purely on data that the petroleum operators provide.
During consultations last month, stakeholders from the industry and civil society raised concerns and queries on the establishment of the board, powers of the minister and remuneration of staff.
Minister Trotman had said during those discussions that the appointment of the board will be inclusive. “The board shall consist of a Chairperson, appointed by the Minister, the Director of Petroleum and not more than seven other persons who shall comprise representatives of the parliamentary opposition and civil society.”
Minister Trotman explained that the Commission also draws from similar commissions established in Africa and Trinidad and Tobago. The Petroleum Commission will be a semi-autonomous organisation like the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).
Oil was discovered by ExxonMobil, a US exploration company, offshore Guyana in 2015. It has been confirmed that the find was commercial and that full production will commence by 2020.
Guyana is currently introducing new legislation and systems in place, along with training technical staffers in preparation.
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