EPA finding its footing

Apr 14, 2022 Editorial

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been defending its work on behalf of Guyana. In fairness, there are some areas in which the EPA has engaged, which are not so apparent to the public. For our part, we have come down hard and repeatedly on the EPA with concerns about its competency. But as was articulated by a trio of its senior officers on a recent programme on Kaieteur Radio, the EPA has been doing some heavy lifting and making strenuous efforts to pull its weight and deliver on behalf of Guyanese.
The agency’s officers made mention of key provisions in Section 13 of the EPA Act, which speaks of obligations to rehabilitate and restore the environment should a problem occur. This is comforting, but only on the condition that there is the strength to force the errant party to stand the full cost for any harm done. It was encouraging to hear of reasonable safeguards, strict liability principle, and little room to manoeuvre through engaging in the “blame game” and how Exxon’s local subsidiary would be held responsible for pollution damages done. There was the view that it would be very difficult for it to achieve success in the courts.
That is all commendable, once there is a will to enforce, should circumstances make such necessary. On the other hand, there was our article “EPA now compiling list of ‘competent’ consultants to undertake environmental studies -After approving US$29B in oil projects…” (KN April 5). The most that we will say now is that it is better to be late than never; though belated, we welcome this development.
After approving US$29B is oil projects, we appreciate that the EPA people woke up and realised that something is wrong. It was when it approved those US$29B in oil projects, this national institution would be well served by truly competent consultants to give justification for environmental projects through their stamp of approval. Instead of the rubberstamping of costly oil projects to the tune of billions in American dollars, Guyana’s EPA needed the most competent environmental consultants to be found.
Neither President nor Vice President nor subject Minister qualify as competent environmental consultants. Therefore, it was vital that the EPA did not bow before whatever influence or pressure came from those sources or appear to be doing so. The EPA must work on a principled basis and diligently to recruit competent, the most competent, consultants to conduct environmental studies for projects.
When the EPA does so, it would earn deserved accolades from the media and the Guyanese people that it serves for a job well done, for due diligence followed to the nth degree. The EPA clearly didn’t do so before, but it is planning to do so now, after the US$29B in prize oil thoroughbreds have rushed out of the stable. We will give the agency and its leaders the benefit of the doubt for now, while we watch to see what occurs with other projects coming on stream.
When we think of what the EPA is now doing, that is, compiling a list of ‘competent’ consults for environmental studies and assessments, we say go ahead, and do it right, with no hidden tricks, no fast moves. Separately, now that the EPA is assembling its list of ‘competent’ consultants for reliable environmental work, we can only wonder at what we got from those that were hired before.
We wonder (and shudder) at the level of possible incompetence, either through sheer ignorance or deliberate neglect on the part of those hired to execute works of great meaning for this country. For it could be that what was supposed to represent a genuine review and approval process was nothing but the mere going through the motions, a touching upon the surface, and not probing deeply for the real exposures and possible dangers to this society. After all, doing so would all but guarantee more lucrative business from sponsors like Exxon and the EPA itself. What Guyanese may have had, and now live with, are what we call ‘wink and nod’ studies by those environmental consultants that came before, and nothing more.
US$29B later, Guyana’s EPA comes to its senses to proceed on a right footing.

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EPA finding its footing

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