Latest update June 1st, 2026 12:37 AM
Court halts Coverden Oil Waste Project
– Judge blasts EPA for illegally skipping environmental study
(Kaieteur News) – High Court Judge, Justice Nicola Pierre has ordered that the Permit granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an oil and gas waste facility to be quashed, as the regulator failed to ensure a thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was first conducted.
In her judgement handed down on October 28, 2025, Justice Pierre stated, “The EP Agency when granting Operation Permit Reference No. 220210216-GOESW to Global Oil Environmental Services (Guyana) Inc. without an EIA of the project being submitted failed to follow the requirements of section 11 of the EP Act. The EP Agency when waiving the requirement of an EIA for the waste management facility for exploration and production oil and gas wastes failed to follow the requirements of section 11 of the EP Act. The waiver is a procedural impropriety, and the grant without first considering an EIA is illegal and outside the powers of the EP Agency under the Act.”
Award-winning Lawyer, Melinda Janki alongside three other Attorneys represented the residents of Coverden, EBD.
As such, the Court ruled that Global Oil Environmental Services (Guyana) Inc. ought to have obtained and submitted an EIA to the EPA in the course of applying for a Permit to operate a waste management facility for exploration and production of oil and gas wastes.
It therefore determined that the Permit issued to the company was invalid. As such, the High Court also made an order of Certiorari quashing the decision the Agency to transfer the Permit to Professional Waste Solutions Inc. (PWSI) on 14 July 2023.
The Court made it clear that the Permit for the waste management facility is invalid and ordered costs be paid to the applicants.
Coverden citizens were represented by award-winning Lawyer, Melinda Janki and Attorneys-at-Law Tim Prudhoe, Anna Kay Brown and Saevion David Longe while the EPA was represented by Attorneys Shareefa Parks and Niomi Alsopp.
In a statement to the press Attorneys-at-Law, Anna-Kay Brown and Saevion David-Longe noted that the decision was not only meaningful for the Coverden community, but also for other communities where developers might seek permits for projects that require an EIA under the Act.
They said, “Upholding the rule of law is vital to safeguarding our environment and communities. More broadly, the decision illustrates to ordinary citizens the importance of resisting the abuse of power and unlawful actions by public authorities. Their efforts will not be in vain because they have recourse within the justice system.”
Similarly, Janki said the ruling is a vindication of the rule of law. She explained, “We have seen the democratic process fail as voters stayed home. We have seen Parliament fail because it has been captured by the executive branch of government. The judiciary are now the most important protection for the rule of law. When a public authority such as the President, ministers or statutory bodies act illegally, the citizen has the right to seek judicial review of such actions and to obtain redress for public wrongs.”
Meanwhile, Audreyanna Thomas, who brought the action with the support of community members thanked the successful legal team for its support and advocacy on the matter. She said, “This success in the case has brought much comfort and peace to the residents that their environment, waterways, health and livelihoods will not be adversely affected by the operations of the oil and gas waste treatment plant. In addition, our way of life will not be altered due to this operation.”
The decision in Thomas v Environmental Protection Agency is a victory for the Coverden community, who repeatedly raised their concerns with the Agency which were either ignored or brushed aside, despite the Agency’s statutory duty to protect the environment and public health.
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