Gas-to-Shore Project could kill fish, other marine life - Exxon

Gas-to-Shore Project could kill fish, other marine life – Exxon

Jun 27, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), recently submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), its project summary for its gas-to-shore project, which could cost Guyana at the very least, US$900M.
The first 19 pages of the 27-page document speaks glowingly about the construction, commissioning and operational aspects of the project while noting that it will create employment and lead to cheaper electricity rates for years to come. But what is buried at the bottom of the summary speaks volumes about the potential this project holds to have a devastating impact on the environment.
ExxonMobil in the document noted that the project could impact Guyana’s marine geology and sediments. It said this could occur through the installation of offshore and non-routine or unplanned events, which was not explained. Regarding the possible effects on human life and the environment where this is concerned, ExxonMobil said it could result in the “Disturbance of the seabed during offshore pipeline installation activities, has the potential to affect benthic habitat and cause death/injury of benthic fauna.” In short, any marine life that is near or close to the seafloor where this project is being done is at risk of being killed or injured.
The oil giant goes onto state that the project has the potential to affect some marine fish in the project area by way of activities such as underwater sound generated by marine component operations and activities, ship strikes, lighting on offshore pipeline installation vessels, wastewater discharges, offshore pipeline construction, hydro testing discharges, vessel movements, operational effluent discharges, and non-routine or unplanned events which again was not explained. Exxon noted that the foregoing ecological impacts could potentially have ramifications for commercial and/or subsistence fisheries.
It should be noted that ExxonMobil in collaboration with the government, is moving ahead with this project at a time when the world is moving away from fossil fuel based projects. In May for example, this newspaper had reported on the United Nations’ (UN) call for a shift in the policy of countries worldwide, to move away from supporting fossil fuel projects through financing such as subsidies, towards renewable energy and the promotion of the transfer of technology to developing countries.

Tomorrow, Kaieteur News will continue to expose more of the potentially devastating impacts this project can have as stated by ExxonMobil in the EPA document.

1 thoughts on “Gas-to-Shore Project could kill fish, other marine life – Exxon”

Jorge Abukhalil June 27, 2021 at 7:09 am

Offshore Drilling Is Bad for the Environment. Here’s Why.
For four decades , the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has taken a stand against any expansion of the oil and gas industry in the Bay watershed, including offshore drilling. The dangers posed by offshore drilling are unacceptable and include:

Oil Spills: On average, spills from platforms, pipelines, tankers, and coastal facilities release 157,000 barrels of oil every year. This poses an unjustifiable risk to the Bay, our coasts, and the economy.
Toxic Pollution: Normal offshore drilling operations release toxic pollution into the air and water. Exploration and drilling at the platform, transportation via tankers, and refining the oil on land can all release volatile organic compounds, greenhouse gases, and other air pollutants.
A Risk to Animals: Wherever there are oil spills and excess pollutants, wildlife is risk. Here in the Bay watershed, even a small oil spill could devastate the blue crab population by killing its larvae. It would also poison and debilitate oysters, fish, seabirds, marine mammals, and other wildlife.
A Risk to Nature: A major spill could devastate wetlands, beaches, and mudflats.
Offshore drilling also has a direct impact on climate change—a threat we simply cannot afford to ignore—by increasing our reliance on fossil fuels. This is a time when we should be turning towards renewable energy alternatives, energy efficiencies, and conservation and not perpetuating our dependence on oil and gas. This problem will only get worse for the Chesapeake Bay and all those who live in the region:

Heavier rainfall and more intense storms, due in part to climate change, lead to more polluted runoff, threatening the progress made so far in reducing pollution to the Bay.
Warmer waters hold less dissolved oxygen, exacerbating fish-killing dead zones and contributing to algal blooms.
Temperature changes affect key species like eelgrass and striped bass, impacting not only the species themselves but the commercial fisheries that are integral to the region’s economy.
Sea level rise is already threatening communities around the Bay, from Annapolis to Hampton Roads to the Eastern Shore to Tangier Island.