EPA Law restricts public engagement on Exxon’s oil projects

Mar 03, 2023 News

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…Operators obligated to adhere to Govt. Policies & Directives – Jackson

Kaieteur News – Since the discovery of oil in 2015 in Guyana’s Stabroek Block, the public has over time become more conscious of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its processes, particularly as it relates to permits and licences.

Taking this into account, there has also been a building consternation over the schedule and time slots being given for members of the public to scrutinize the voluminous stacks of technical data, such as that which is included in Project Summaries and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).

The EPA, along with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPG)—ExxonMobil Guyana—on Wednesday, along with their consultant, Acorn International LLC, met with members of the public at the Umana Yana, for a disclosure session following the completion of an EIA for ExxonMobil Guyana’s fifth planned project in the Stabroek Block, Urau.

During that session, the consultants in their presentation noted that among the recommendations proffered in relation to the proposed oil field development, said that there should in future, be an increased public engagement.

It was recognized too during the session the information being provided to the public was in fact a significant quantum of technical information and as such, a summary of the more than 3,000 pages of information for those present at the Umana Yana.

Wednesday’s meeting marked the last of the public disclosure sessions for ExxonMobil’s Urau development with members of the public being afforded another week ending on March 9, to submit any queries or concerns to the EPA.

Addressing the gathering at Umana Yana, Dean Slocum, of Acorn International, in going through the information contained in the EIA, pointed to the stakeholder engagement.

“What we have heard from a lot of people is we want more opportunity to engage with a two way engagement with the company and so what we have recommended is looking for additional opportunities to create that engagement.”

This he said, should not be limited to the EIA process but beyond.

Following the initial presentations by the consultations, EEPGL and EPA representatives, the oil operator and regulator were asked to respond to the recommendation to increased public engagements.

Anthony Jackson, the ExxonMobil Guyana Project Manager, responded by pointing to the fact that the oil company was only working within the parameters as set out by the EPA.

He told the gathering, “…the reality is, we as operators are bound to adhere to the government policies and directives on how we produce an EEA.”

Jackson went further to say the best practice would not be to advise the government on consultation periods for the populace.

He used the occasion to stress that EEPGL would have continuous engagements with the EPA aimed at reviewing previous undertakings to ascertain what would have work best in relation to the varying demands on the oil operator.

He used the opportunity to concede that there have been repeated calls for more time during the engagement process and was adamant that the EIA process as spelt out in the laws is not just for the oil and gas sector but for broad range of economic developments to be had in country.

When it comes specifically to the oil and gas industry, Jackson conceded that the amount of technical information being presented to the public in the EIAs, “is a lot information to digest.”

According to Jackson, this is why the information was summarized which would allow persons to hone in on areas of interest to them when engaging with the operator and regulator.

To this end, he indicated that timing as part of the engagement process will form part of the dialogue to be had with the EPA.

Aretha Forde of EPA who gave a presentation outlining the EIA process and fielded the questions for that agency told those gathered, “we are following what is stated in the Environmental Protection Act.”

That statue, she noted would have dictated the varying time periods for stakeholder engagements.

The EPA led disclosure meetings with the public commenced eight separate two and a half hours sessions across several of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions beginning on February 20 at the Flavio’s Hall, Santa Rosa Region One.

Another session was held in Region One, this time at the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) Office in the Mabaruma sub-district.

The following day the face-to-face sessions headed to the Anna Regina Town Hall on the Essequibo coast where another meeting was held.

With the following day being a National Holiday, the subsequent session was held on February 24, this time venued in Region Three, where another session was completed at the Leonora Technical Institute, West Coast Demerara.

On February 27, the sessions then moved to the Mahaicony Technical Institute, East Coast Demerara (ECD) after which the session moved to the Latchman Singh Primary School, West Coast Berbice for back-to-back events.

The following day, February 28, the penultimate session was held at the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Training Centre, Port Mourant, Berbice.

The final session was held on Wednesday at the Umana Yana in Georgetown, representing the only session to be held in the largest populated region of the country.

The Umana Yana is in Region Four, Demerara-Mahaica, which as of 2012, was recorded at 313,429 that accounted for 41.71 percent of Guyana’s population.

In Region One, Barima-Waini where there were two disclosure meetings, the population size was registered at just 26, 941 persons.

As it relates to Region Three, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, that accounts for 107,416 Guyanese, while Region Five—Mahaica/Berbice has a population of some 49,723.

Region Six, East Berbice-Corentyne, records 109,431 persons.

As such, it would mean that a two-and-a-half-hour session to address the EIA and EIS was set aside for the large majority of the Guyanese population.

Altogether, a total of two and a half hours was set aside for 42 percent of the country’s entire population while reserving, 17 and a half hours for the rest of the country—minus Regions Seven, Eight, Nine and 10—or for 340, 321 persons across five regions.

With the exclusion of Regions Seven, Eight, Nine and 10, it would mean the exclusion of 94,134 Guyanese from the engagement process.

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• Anthony Jackson, EEPGL Projects Manager, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Project Summaries, Stabroek Block

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