As EPA, Exxon dodging scrutiny from Parliamentary Committee

Apr 20, 2024 ExxonMobil, News, Oil & Gas

Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Ask Vick, Jagdeo says…

Kaieteur News – Vice President (VP) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday directed a Kaieteur News reporter to ask the Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat to state when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will respond to the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources’ invitation to appear before it.

The EPA and ExxonMobil Guyana were invited to appear before the Parliamentary Committee twice – the last occasion being on April 12, 2024. Both entities have failed to do so.

On Thursday, Kaieteur News’ reporter asked the VP to comment on the EPA’s failure to appear before the Committee to which he responded, “So have you asked Vickram Bharrat who is not only Minister…he chairs (sits on) the Committee? Have you submitted any statements…written to him?”

The VP, at his weekly press conference held at Freedom House, Robb Street suggested, “Catch him at a corner somewhere and ask him. He goes everywhere. Ask him, when do you plan as Chair to have these people before you? Have you given them notice? What do you to have to say whether they showed up or not? What do you have to say, you find it acceptable? Please do that the next time.”

In response, the reporter reminded VP Jagdeo that on a number of occasions requests were made to the minister who never responded.

“Yes, but I believe my colleagues and I would have come here multiple times with other issues [after] reaching out to Minister Bharrat. He doesn’t respond and, then when we come here you send us back to him,” the reporter said.

However, the Vice President insisted that the Minister be contacted. “But then ask him (Natural Resources Minister) that one specially, let him respond to that one. I will (reach out to him) but make an attempt to talk to Vickram first. Ask him that specific question and if he doesn’t respond I’ll reach out,” Jagdeo said.

Kaieteur News reported that ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failed to attend the Natural Resources Parliamentary Sectoral Meeting on April 13, 2024 and provided no reasons for their absence.

Deonarine Ramsaroop, an AFC Member of Parliament (MP) and member of the Natural Resources Sectoral Committee told members of the press on April 13 that the organizations have been providing consecutive letters of excuses to avoid being grilled at the level of the National Assembly.

Minister of Natural Resources who is also Vice Chairman of that Committee was also absent.

Ramsaroop argued that the Opposition had compiled approximately 15 questions for the Minister relative to the findings of the auditors and the developments in the Gas-to-Energy (GTE) project.

“Parliament is not a cakeshop and if the government believes that this is a cakeshop and not having the relevant agencies to come to us to the sectoral committee, we are not gonna take it lightly…we’re gonna execute the Standing Orders where we gonna summon these agencies directly to come to Parliament,” he said.

At the AFC’s press conference, the party’s leader Khemraj Ramjattan was keen to note that Standing Order 86 of the National Assembly states that the Committees can summon individuals and organizations to provide evidence and provide answers to questions.

“They can call for their papers and they can call for their records and documents and they are to give evidence in accordance with the Legislative body’s Evidence Act whereby they can be forced to answer questions,” he explained.

dodging, Jagdeo, Records, resources, scrutiny

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