Guyana’s EPA flexing its muscles

Dec 12, 2025 Editorial, News

(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a critical set of duties as part of its wide-ranging portfolio. It is the nation’s premier watchdog agency over the oil patrimony, a patrimony that holds so much of the future. The EPA has been asleep for years, in an extended coma, now it finds its voice. ExxonMobil, Guyana’s oil partner, must provide the details of every well that it drills, both before and after, and with clear supporting images. It is a step in the right direction, an action that was delayed too long. Now the company has an opportunity to demonstrate how much of a partner it is.

ExxonMobil now has to cooperate fully in audits of oil reserves, with full access granted to any Government of Guyana personnel. This has been a key point of contention for this newspaper. Guyanese hear about new oil wells being drilled, but nothing about the safety standards in place, or new oil reserves. With real-time monitoring set in motion, the government has a better idea of the level of ExxonMobil’s activities, and what value this country is getting for the billions claimed as expenses. It seems that some people in the PPPC Government are unhappy with what is being received from Guyana’s leading oil partner. Once the EPA is genuine about monitoring and following-up on the insights gained, the government would be better positioned to represent Guyanese interests.

What is ExxonMobil doing out there that could be to the disadvantage of this nation, and its dependent people? What is it that ExxonMobil has been doing, but of which both the government and citizens are unaware, but needed to know? The company’s management of its business onshore is best described as a study in denial and delay, as if its take smirking comfort in using its vast industry experience to make a fool of this nation.

Many citizens are unhappy with what has resulted from competed audits of ExxonMobil’s billions in expenses. The PPPC Government appears to be more aligned with the oil companies, than with local interests and priorities. More often than not, there is the sense that the government is reluctant to go after Guyana’s chief oil partner, and laying out its expectations. Guyanese want to know how many new barrels of oil have been found from the discoveries announced. So many discoveries, yet so little said about so much more oil for the reserves. The PPPC Government has to do more to push ExxonMobil to be a real partner that acts in a straightforward manner with this country, a partner that has earned the trust of citizens.

Today, after over five years, the EPA appears to be finally rising to the challenge and facing off against ExxonMobil. Guyana must be supplied with imagery, access, and related documentation. There are three primary benefits to all of this, which offers huge insights to this country on this its most precious of assets. Guyana positions itself to being in the know on what its partner is doing almost 200 kilometers offshore, what is the rate and level of this depleting asset, and what could include the status of new oil finds that replenish the national reserves. For too many years ExxonMobil has had a free hand in operating as though it is the owner and sole controller of this national patrimony. ExxonMobil is now so arrogant that it actually insults the intelligence of Guyanese, with actions that no other country with any self-respect would have allowed. We remind readers of the occasion when an audit team was blocked from having access to a certain area of its offshore operations. Partners don’t do that to other partners, and Guyana is not a 5 or 10% partner with ExxonMobil, but one with the power of equal, if not greater, footing.

To insult further, ExxonMobil spokespeople, at different times, became very innovative in the information that they shared with this country. It seems that the objective was to reveal less, and obscure as much as can be gotten away with. The way we assessed what has happened is that the US oil supergiant was given free rein too long, and has had too much advantage. That has to stop.

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Editorial, EPA, ExxonMobil, flexing, oil

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