Latest update April 3rd, 2025 7:31 AM
Liza One, Two permits amended from 20 to five-year timeline – in keeping with court order
Kaieteur News-The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has amended ExxonMobil’s Liza One and Two environmental permits in line with the lawful five-year timeline.
According to the amended Liza One permit, it is now effective from June 1, 2017 to May 31, 2022. As for the Liza Two permit, it has been amended to be effective from April 26, 2019 to April 25, 2024.
These amendments follow after the High Court, on October 3, 2020, had ordered for ExxonMobil’s Liza One environmental permit to be in conformity with the law. The order, which had been granted by Justice Jo Ann Barlow, had effectively reduced Exxon’s environmental permit from 20 plus years to five – the accurate five year allocation as prescribed by law.
The matter was settled in court following an initial hearing of the case filed against the EPA by Guyanese scientist and the former President of Transparency Institute Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), Dr. Troy Thomas.
Both the EPA and Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, ExxonMobil’s local operating subsidiary, agreed to limit the permit to five years, as provided by law.
As a result, an order was issued for Exxon’s permit in the Liza One oil field development to expire in the next 18 months instead of 2040 —24 years after the issuance originally granted by the EPA.
In his lawsuit filed last August, Dr. Thomas noted that the permits issued to EEPGL had violated the EPA’s Regulation 19, which specifically cites the limits to the issuance of permits to five years after which it is subject to review before a fresh one is granted to the oil operators to ensure that their exploration activities are keeping with the laws that protect the environment.
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