Without resources for oversight, permits and policies mean nothing-EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams

Without resources for oversight, permits and policies mean nothing–EPA Head, Dr. Vincent Adams

Mar 28, 2019 News

You can have the thickest, most robust piece of legislation or Environment Permit with international regulations inserted in them; it all means “diddly-squat” if you don’t have the resources to ensure full implementation and proper oversight.
This was noted by Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, yesterday at the Marriott Hotel. He was one of the panelists at the Guyana Maritime Conference-2019.
During his address, Dr. Adams said that when it comes to the oil and gas sector, oversight is key. He said that the agencies representing the government in this sector are trying to put things in place as fast as possible to be ready for the sector.
Speaking for the EPA in this regard, the Environmental Engineer said that the entity is not quite ready.
To paint a more vivid picture of the level of oversight that is needed by such a regulatory agency, Dr. Adams made mention of his experience at the US State Department. The EPA Head said that there was always a representative from the Department who was stationed at every oil operation 24/7.
He noted, too, that the US State Department had more trained personnel and expertise than the companies had, and the officials were able to ensure that whatever the oil companies had to implement, they did so to the highest standard.
The EPA Head noted that due to a lack of resources here, such a practice could not be adopted at this point. He posited that the Caribbean region and by extension, the Diaspora holds a number of experienced Guyanese who can be called upon to fill the capacity gap that exists here. He believes that the Diaspora is a most untapped resource.
Dr. Adams added, “It is important that we have oversight and are able to work with the contractors too because we are all in this together. We all have a common interest, that is to produce oil and make money…but we have to do so safely.” (BY KIANA WILBURG)

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