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Jun 19, 2020 News
By Kiana Wilburg
When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) learnt last year that ExxonMobil was releasing toxic chemicals into the atmosphere by burning significant amounts of gas, it did not believe that the situation would go beyond a few days much less closing in on six months.
Head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Vincent Adams said that this state of affairs is indeed embarrassing but he was adamant that the regulatory body will be putting measures in place for more accountability, starting with improving the permit that allowed for ExxonMobil to flare in the first place.
Speaking on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, Guyana’s Oil and You yesterday, Dr. Adams said the regulatory body has learned that it is the broad language in ExxonMobil’s permit that gave the oil giant the leverage to flare over 12 million cubic feet of gas per day without a single repercussion. According to the permit, ExxonMobil is allowed to flare or burn some amount of associated gas during the start up of its operations. The permit is silent on what occurs during the case of mechanical issues and how long a start-up period is expected to last. In the absence of those clear terms, ExxonMobil was allowed to continue its business as usual and burn the associated gas until it can fix the issues it is experiencing with the gas compressor system for the Liza Destiny oil vessel.
Dr. Adams revealed that ExxonMobil has been informed that such loopholes in its current permit will be closed. He also said that future permits will also have much tighter and clearer conditions for flaring.
The EPA Head said, “The flaring is now down to about 12 million cubic feet of gas per day. It is not where it should be but we are taking action. We are in contact with them (ExxonMobil) and they are aware that we are unhappy about this state of affairs. We have already contacted them and said that we will change the language in current and future permits to ensure there is more accountability…”
Contrary to the perception some may have, the EPA Head said that ExxonMobil is indeed embarrassed by this matter and is working very diligently to address it. “…We appreciate them doing all that we asked for but we need more accountability hence we have informed them that we are tightening the language in the current permit and future permits where there is going to be no room for misinterpretation about what the intent of the permit is,” expressed Dr. Adams.
Over the last few weeks, Kaieteur News would have reported extensively on the mounting criticisms the EPA and ExxonMobil would have faced on the matter of flaring.
On the local platform, Conservationist Annette Arjoon-Martins spoke about the dangers of flaring which releases harmful toxins into the atmosphere. She also reminded of treaties Guyana signed onto which require that it keeps its carbon emissions low. With this in mind, the Conservationist asserted that Guyana’s authorities have to ensure that the nation upholds its obligations and get ExxonMobil to cease flaring forthwith.
On the global platform, an organization called the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) said that Guyana’s authorities are perhaps oblivious to the harms of flaring while noting that the authorities need to be more aggressive on the issue. During an exclusive interview on Kaieteur Radio’s programme, Guyana’s Oil and You, CIEL’s President, Carroll Muffett had said that the flaring of over nine billion cubic feet of gas is equivalent to more than a kilogramme (kg) of Carbon Dioxide (C02) for every Guyanese. At room temperature, one kg of CO2 can occupy the trunk of a large car. Taking this into consideration, he too insisted that Guyana makes every effort to bring an end to the flaring by ExxonMobil.
In a brief comment on Tuesday, Public and Government Affairs Advisor for ExxonMobil, Janelle Persaud said that the company has been able to reduce flaring to a significant degree while noting that it is working attentively towards addressing the matter.
Persaud had said, “We continue to safely complete final commissioning of the gas handling system. We have two of the three gas handling systems online and are currently injecting or using 85 percent of the produced gas from the reservoir. With gas reinjection online, we are able to ramp up production and reduce flaring. Once the system is fully commissioned, we will be able to produce at full capacity.”
Persaud was also keen to note that both the safety of the people working on the Liza Destiny and the company’s efforts to minimize flaring are key priorities for ExxonMobil Guyana. “…We will continue to work with the Government of Guyana, including the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, to operate safely and in accordance with our environmental impact assessment and permit,” the ExxonMobil official concluded.
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