Imperative that EPA learns to balance safety with output

Dec 05, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – It is encouraging that the EPA has taken recent steps to relook at its processes and reevaluate the need for an EIA in the new proposed well. This should foster improved understanding of what will be occurring. It was very concerning to hear that the use of the conservative view of pollution was misunderstood at such a high level within the agency. It was conservative on pollution because it takes the worst case or highest level of theoretical production to consider the extent of potential pollution. This, however, is the opposite of taking a conservative approach on the safe levels of production. For the safest levels of production, the EPA should be considering a factor of safety that minimises potential failure, while maximising output. The designed-in safety factor will help guide better decisions, as the agency will better understand how much stronger the system is vs. the designed load. If the factor of safety is low, then a lower percentage of the designed load should be taken. This will help prevent reaching premature failure.
The training that is occurring at the agency to strengthen its personnel and organisational capabilities to better monitor the new Oil and Gas Sector is important and should continue to be developed. However, it must be remembered that the details of what is occurring continues to be important at the operational level, and the monitoring systems in place need to be both robust and thorough to capture the status of critical failure points within the system. Norway and other countries, with a record of very safe offshore drilling operations in the industry, should be consulted to develop an effective monitoring programme for Exxon and other suppliers. Preventing environmental damage should continue to be the first priority, as losses from a major oil spill could eliminate the economic gains obtained over the useful life of the sector.

Best regards,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

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