Ruptured gas pipeline sparks huge “eye of fire” in Mexico’s waters

Jul 04, 2021 News

– How would Guyana cope if it suffers similar fate with Exxon gas project? –Int’l Lawyer asks

Kaieteur News – Mexican authorities were on Friday last, at pains to extinguish a boiling “eye of fire” that erupted in Gulf waters. The inferno was sparked after an underwater gas pipeline was ruptured.

International Lawyer, Melinda Janki

Mexico’s state-controlled oil company Pemex said on Friday that it had dispatched fire control boats to pump more water over the flames. The national oil company reported no injuries from the incident in the offshore Ku-Maloob-Zaap field. Kaieteur News understands the incident occurred about 150 yards (meters) from a drilling platform and the company had taken five hours later to bring the situation under control.
While the extent of the environmental damage in the Gulf waters is unknown as investigations continue, the situation is one that has left many Guyanese locally and abroad, wondering if the PPP/C Government would even be prepared enough to handle such a catastrophic situation were it to occur with ExxonMobil’s US$900M gas-to-energy project.

An image published by CNN of the boiling “eye of fire” that erupted following the gas leak in the Gulf of Mexico

Specifically making this concern known was International Lawyer, Melinda Janki. In an invited comment, Janki said a pipeline for associated gas is not only a total waste of money for Guyana but the fire in the Gulf of Mexico shows that it can also be an extremely dangerous venture.
She said, “The government must explain how it would cope if Exxon’s proposed gas pipeline burst into flames. How would the government stop catastrophic harm to marine wildlife and fisheries? Suppose the explosion happened on the coast. How would the government stop the destruction of homes, livelihoods and lives?”
The lawyer added, “It is now clear to everybody that Exxon’s proposed gas pipeline cannot go ahead. Guyana is more important than Exxon. I have already said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appears to have acted unlawfully in changing the permit to allow Exxon to flare the associated natural gas.”
The lawyer said she is of the firm conviction that the government must make ExxonMobil re-inject the associated gas as required by the petroleum contract, the environmental impact assessment and the original environmental permit. If this cannot be done, she is of the view that the government must shut down the Liza Phase One operations. She believes the PPP/C administration has a duty to ensure all projects are in compliance with standards that protect the wellbeing of current and future generations.

DANGER FOR MARINE LIFE
It was just one week ago that Kaieteur News reported that ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), recently submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency 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 on to 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.