Yellowtail approval predictable

Apr 02, 2022 News

– Govt. appears to dance to the tune of any interests but the people’s – Transparency Group

Kaieteur News – The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of the Yellowtail Development project which is being undertaken by Exxon Mobil’s subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has come as no surprise President for Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc., Fredrick Collins has stated.
The head of the civil society body in a preliminary reaction to EPA’s announcement yesterday has described the move as coinciding with government’s actions of belittling the law and not allowing state agencies to act independently.
“It was predictable,” Collins told the Kaieteur News. He said that, “It is in conformity with the general posture of the EPA that appears to dance to the tune of any interests but those of the ordinary people of this country.” He said the approval, “shows why the politicians insist on not allowing any of our regulatory bodies to display independence and is yet another attempt at the trivialization of our laws which will stand unless ordinary people put themselves to great expense to challenge it.”
Collins charged that the approval of the Yellowtail is what happens when the people who are paid to work in citizen’s interests, perversely use those very human and technical resources against the interests of the people.
Collins made his statements based on inconsistencies that occurred with existing oil wells; Liza 1, 2 and Payara. As it stands, Guyana has been unable to achieve assurances for full liability insurance coverage for the three existing wells in the unfortunate case of an oil spill or other environmental disaster. Guyana has also been unable to ensure that it is positioned to audit ExxonMobil’s books to ensure that the billions of US dollars it claims to have spent to develop oil wells in the Stabroek Block have not been padded.
To this end, several civil society groups, professionals and ordinary citizens have suggested and called on government to put a pause on approvals for other oil developments until Guyana can put its house in order. The government has nonetheless persisted leaving many to question whether the Administration actually has Guyana’s best interest at heart.
The General Workers’ Union (GWU) also loaned its voice to the ongoing discussion saying that it would have thought that in the interest of what’s best for Guyana, government would have rectified issues with existing wells before giving approval for new developments.
GWU’S President Norris Witter said that, “The sensible thing to do; if there is concern about an extant contract then what you do is you suspend all future negotiations, address the current controversy and then you move forward. If you move forward without addressing the current controversy, it is suggesting to us that you have no intention of correcting the wrong that was done and that you are prepared to go forward and even commit more wrongs.” Witter said that the growing concerns over the management of the local oil and gas sector, is one that is beginning to grab the attention of his Union and its members.

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