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Guyana gearing for oil spill readiness
– Trotman
By: Kiana Wilburg
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman recently assured that the necessary preparations are taking place to ensure that Guyana would not be caught off guard should an oil spill occur.
The Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC) told this newspaper that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is the lead agency that is formulating the national response plan for Guyana.
He said that support is also being provided by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).
The Natural Resources Minister asserted that Guyana is also part of the regional system known as the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). He said that even though the likelihood of an oil spill is low, the Government is adamant that preparation is necessary and this is being done at a national and regional level.
Additionally, the Minister said that the US Coast Guard have been providing continuous training since last year and is expected to visit again in December. Trotman said that this is part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Guyana has with the US State Department and the Energy Governance Capacity Initiative.
“We are definitely getting ready. Guyana intends to be prepared. Though the operator is always the first responder we have a national duty and steps are actively being taken.”
Additionally, Kaieteur News explained to the Minister that there were concerns that USA oil giant, ExxonMobil made no commitment in its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to cover the costs associated with an oil spill that it may be responsible for.
Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman
To this Trotman only said, “As part of the development plan and permit granted, Exxon does have a responsibility to prevent accidents and to put measures in place to mitigate, prevent and respond to potential risks and accidents.”
EXXONMOBIL’S OIL SPILLS
Over the years, ExxonMobil has been criticised for causing some of the world’s most detrimental oil spills, leaving marine life as well as communities devastated for decades.
One of the worst in its track record is the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill which occurred in Alaska on March 24, 1989. The Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, owned by Exxon Shipping Company, was bound for Long Beach, California. On its journey, it struck the Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef and spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil for several days. Given its effects, it is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters.
But more than 20 years later, many question whether ExxonMobil actually learned anything from the great Valdez mistake.
On May 1, 2010, a ruptured ExxonMobil pipeline in the state of Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, spilled more than a million gallons of oil into the delta. The leakage contaminated waters and coastal settlements in the predominantly fishing communities along Akwa Ibom.
Importantly, Nigeria’s authorities flagged ExxonMobil for its response to the oil spill as it sought to use certain chemicals which were proven to be toxic to human and marine life.
In fact, Rev. Samuel Ayadi, Akwa Ibom State Chapter Chairman of Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN), said that ExxonMobil was in the habit of using dangerous chemical dispersants which are scientifically proven to be toxic to human and aquatic life to clean up oil spills whenever they occur.
He also noted that dispersants were even more dangerous than crude oil because it breaks down the crude oil and sinks it to the seabed where it kills fish eggs and fingerlings thereby wiping out generations of fish stock and other sea food and marine creatures that make up the food chain.
Even as early as February of this year, ExxonMobil found itself under investigation after Australian regulators discovered that there was an oily sheen around ExxonMobil’s rig in the Bass Strait of Australia.
The findings of the investigation revealed that it was indeed an oil spill caused by ExxonMobil and worse yet; its failure to properly respond increased the risk of contamination and posed a “significant threat to the environment.”
Sources used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_ExxonMobil_oil_spill, http://www.petrocom.gov.gh/assets/Petroleum(Exploration%20and%20Production)Act2016.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/03/oil-spill-near-exxonmobil-drilling-platform-in-bass-strait-to-be-investigated, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/10/exxonmobil-criticised-over-response-to-bass-strait-oil-spill
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