Is Guyana’s EPA a baccoo organisation?

Jul 03, 2021 Editorial

Kaieteur News – Our headline story on July 1 is a tale of two terrors: “Exxon installs upgraded gas compressor system on Liza Destiny – EPA approves application to flare more gas until tests completed.” The main part of that caption told the expected bright side of the story, while the secondary detail spoke of what is dark and worrying about how Guyana oversees its oil endowment. When we think of that EPA approval to flare more gas, we ask ourselves whether Guyana’s EPA is a baccoo organisation operating in some spirit underworld.
We start with what we termed the “expected bright side.” It is good to learn from Exxon’s local public relations people of this installation development, which is the best that we can say which, it should be noted, we qualified with ‘expected.’ We do so, since we don’t trust what Exxon tells Guyana on its operations 125 miles out in the ocean. The company has not been wholly truthful on many things that it does out there, and with handicapped Guyanese none the wiser to the clever deceptions of Exxon’s people. At bottom, this country, from its leaders protecting Exxon to government supporters not caring about their own welfare, to opposition leaders and their people disengaged, is clueless as to how much gas is flared, how much oil is produced and shipped, and how much we lose out from the trickeries of Exxon and its partners, local and foreign.
We also condition our position with ‘expected bright side’ on this announced installation because Exxon seems as lost as Guyanese as to how to fix this defective gas compressor. One would think (we do) that after decades as a leader in the oil business, with the latest in topnotch technology, and all the wisdom gained from prior failures, that something such as a faulty gas compressor would have been an easy fix. That is, who are the best in fixing it, what is involved with regard to time and testing, and all the other ingredients of robust maintenance. It boggles the mind, that this has been a stop and start, and then stops again, and starts over again gas compressor affair. It is not about what is confidence building. However, here we are, Exxon and Guyana, going again with this gas compressor in this newest soap opera episode of its installation and hoped-for safe and effective operation.
Even as we present this to the public, we understand that none of this means anything to arrogant and unheeding Exxon. Having gotten away with murder and rape and incest (political) in this country, the leaders of Exxon, wherever they are based, simply stuff their ears and continue along merrily. Denunciations do not trouble the company; do not spur its executives and managers to put their best foot forward, with what assures Guyanese of all walks that our best interests are represented, that we are in good hands.
Now, having recognised also that Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is content to function as the soles of Exxon’s shoes, we denounce it for this inexplicable decision that approves Exxon “to flare more gas until tests completed.” What could be more stupid than that? In the middle of already excessive and unacceptable flaring quantities (cubic feet), the EPA keeps moving the gas flaring goalposts in the middle of the atmospheric assaults to accommodate Exxon’s mistakes. In effect, Guyana’s EPA is giving a free hand to America’s Exxon to do as it pleases with unknown amounts of gas flaring, while pretending that it is not such a big deal, and all is well, that excess flaring will be over three weeks hence.
The better thing for the EPA to do, would have been to take a hard and unmoving position along these lines: stop production. Fix the unreliable compressor satisfactorily. Test comprehensively and unhurriedly. And then issue approval for production to begin again. Instead, what the EPA is doing is bending over backward as guided by invisible but identifiable political hands, to keep Exxon’s gas flaring pot overflowing and the oil coming. Because of the above, we conclude that Guyana’s EPA is nothing more than a jumbie entity, more about obeying political orders, and hiding its true purpose.

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