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Guyana yet to develop oil spill response plan – Harmon admits

Oct 20, 2017 News

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has admitted that Guyana is a far way from being prepared to handle the effects of environmental pollution that can result from oil production.
Harmon is also the Minister responsible for the Environment.
The Minister spoke to the media about this matter yesterday as he hosted a post-Cabinet press briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency.
Kaieteur News asked Harmon about the government’s readiness to handle disasters that may arise as a result of oil production.
The main issue highlighted by this newspaper was a possible oil spill. Harmon said that the government is not ready, but has ample time to prepare for 2020.
“I would not say that we are ready.
We are not ready for that as yet, but I believe that we are in the process of acquiring sufficient information that we will be able to put processes and structures in place to deal with the eventuality of an oil spill,” said Harmon.
He continued, “Oil spills are basically accidents, and therefore it is how you prepare for these accidents that is important.”
Harmon pointed out that some of the most developed countries in the world that have processes and plans in place, still have issues when faced with oil spills.
The Minister said, “We are looking at the capacity within the Ministry of Natural Resources and we are looking at the capacity in our environmental agencies, namely the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of the Environment and the Office of Climate Change, all of these entities that are focusing on that issue. So it hasn’t escaped us.”
Harmon reiterated that the establishment of the response plan is a priority for the government.
“It is something that is on the front burner, there are discussions going on all the time. Yesterday or a day before, the Minister of Natural Resources (Raphael Trotman) was engaged with some conversations from Chatham House in that regard.”
Harmon said that the EPA and the Department of Environment are focusing on the response plan.
He indicated that there is expected to be a retreat later on this month.
At that forum, there will be focus on processes to be put in place for all things relating to oil and the environment.
“The EPA is gearing up. There is a lot of training for EPA personnel.
The headquarters is almost complete, the building work is going on and so there is going to be an increased focus on environmental protection, just as we focus on expanding our protected areas.
You have heard the auditor general speak of the environmental audits,” said Harmon.

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