EPA instructs ExxonMobil to do more on environmental front

Sep 09, 2017 News

A source at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed that ExxonMobil will have to do further studies about the impact its operation will have on the environment in Guyana.
It has long been exposed that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which Exxon prepared and sent to the EPA is inadequate, as it outlines weak measures to deal with the eventuality of an oil spill, among other things.
Despite this fact, EPA still granted ExxonMobil the environmental permit it needed, to proceed with Liza Phase-1 development. However, it has now been revealed that that permit was granted based on an agreement that Exxon will step up in the many areas it was lacking.
“We told Esso (Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, ExxonMobil’s affiliate) that more needs to be done, much more needs to be done. They are very much aware of this. In fact they have agreed to get some more work done. This is one of the conditions upon which the permit was granted.”
The source said that Exxon will conduct several follow-up studies. The follow-up action to be undertaken includes fieldwork to verify the coastal sensitivity maps and conduct sea turtle telemetry.
EPA thinks that this course of action will somehow compensate for that which is lacking in the EIA that was submitted. If the EIA process is successful, it would identify alternatives and mitigation measures to reduce the environmental impact of a proposed project.
In general, the benefits of EIA include better environmental planning and design of a proposal. A well-designed project can minimize risks and impacts on the environment and people, and thereby avoid associated costs of remedial treatment or compensation for damage.
So hands down, EIAs are crucial. Countries around the world ensure that an EIA is satisfactory before giving the go-ahead for projects.
An EPA source said that it is not a case where the agency did not know that Guyana was given less. The source said that the EPA found the assessment “less than adequate” but felt obliged to grant the permit based on the posture of the government.
The EIA has little or no information on the role to be played by relevant stakeholders as it pertains to consultations, training and quick response measures. In the event of an oil spill, there is no oversight mechanism in place to oversee the remedial action taken by the company.
In other parts of the world, there are strict restrictions on drilling operations during the nesting and breeding season of marine mammals. But, in Guyana, to date, Exxon has been given free rein; the EIA did not speak to this issue.
Exxon’s EIA said that unplanned events, such as a “large oil spill,” are considered unlikely to occur because of the extensive preventative measures employed. It was noted that the light nature of the Liza field crude oil, and the region’s warm waters would help minimize the severity of a spill.
“Accounting for these factors, the modeling indicates only a five to 10 percent probability of any oil reaching the Guyana coast.” However, Exxon admitted that a spill at a Liza well would likely impact marine resources found near the well.
The effects that drilling for oil and producing oil can have on the environment include dangerous methane emissions that contribute to climate change, disruption of wildlife migration routes and habitats as a result of noise pollution. Oil spills on land and offshore drilling sites strip the environment of vegetation.
Activities can increase erosion (which could lead to landslides and flooding as happened in Chad where dozens were killed) and the opportunity for weed infestation, disturb the land’s ground surface, and seriously fragment once unspoiled wildlife habitats.

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