Oil money will be set aside for preservation of the environment - Trotman

Oil money will be set aside for preservation of the environment – Trotman

Mar 30, 2018 ExxonMobil, News

The Government of Guyana has once again, sought to assure the citizenry that it is dedicated to the protection of the environment. In fact, it was revealed that some of the nation’s oil wealth would be set aside for this purpose.
This pledge was recently made by Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman.
The Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) noted that while the government is moving steadfastly on the road to first oil, it is also keeping a close eye on the development of a national green state strategy.
The politician said that the Coalition Administration also embarked on a National Green State Development Strategy which prioritizes the protection and preservation of the environment for current and future generations.
He said that one of the seven guiding principles of the strategy is the sustainable management of natural resources, which includes the entire coastal area where fishing and farming are conducted as well as water resources.
He said that the water resources would include both freshwater and the offshore marine environment which make up the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Minister Trotman said, “This overarching strategy provides our most significant commitment to the preservation of our environment in tandem with the development of our resources.
“In fact, we have committed to using the revenue from development of our natural resources to advance the preservation of our environment.”
“Guyana must be known not as an oil producing nation but as a nation that used its massive resources to protect its environment which also includes its people and the communities they live in.”
CONTINGENCY PLAN
To complement its efforts in the protection of the environment, Minister Trotman noted that the Coalition Administration is already moving towards the development of a National Contingency Plan.
He said that this document would guide the manner in which local authorities respond to the possibility of an oil spill.
The Minister said that the contingency plan is in keeping with the principles of international organizations of which Guyana is a member. Trotman stated that in 1998, Guyana became a member of the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) and a signatory to the IMO’s International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC).
In 2010, he stated that Guyana acceded to the Cartagena Convention and all three of its protocols including the “Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Oil Spills in the Wider Caribbean Region”.
The AFC Leader said, “I am aware that the IMO guidelines have been a driving force in the design of this National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.”
Furthermore, it was on Wednesday that the Government, through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), held its first stakeholders’ consultation on the draft plan. This document was put together by a local team.
The draft was discussed at length by Captain John R. Flores, the Director of Maritime Safety.
Flores during his presentation on the plan showed a short video that highlighted the devastating effects oil spills can have on the environment. The video made reference to some of the world’s most horrifying oil spills such as the ExxonMobil Valdez oil spill and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The Director of Maritime Safety said that several documents were used as a reference point for the creation of the framework.
He said that these included the IMO’s manual on guidelines to be followed in the creation of an oil spill plan, draft procedures which Guyana’s authorities had from years ago, and oil spill plans by other nations such as Trinidad and Tobago.