Latest update March 2nd, 2026 12:30 AM
Adams blasts energy confab as exclusionary
…says Govt. ceded control to Exxon
…burning issues such as renegotiation unaddressed
(Kaieteur News) – Former Head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, has launched a scathing attack on the recently concluded “One Guyana” Energy Conference, describing it as a carefully stage-managed event that excluded half the country while advancing the interests of ExxonMobil.
In a letter to this publication, Adams said the conference, touted as a platform for “Building Guyana’s Future” was marked by “wholescale exclusion of Guyanese,” including opposition representatives, the University of Guyana (UG), small businesses and ordinary citizens.
Former EPA head, Dr. Vincent Adams
According to Adams, close to 100 speakers featured at the event, including some 20 senior government officials and more than 50 foreign dignitaries ranging from ministers to prime ministers and executives. Yet, he noted, not a single representative or associate of the parliamentary opposition who collectively secured nearly half of the national vote at the last elections was invited.
“When this unpatriotic divisive behaviour was raised before, the response was that the Opposition had no one qualified in oil and gas,” Adams stated. “The Government now owes the nation an explanation as to what qualifies one to participate and how its own members are more qualified.”
But Adams’ criticism went beyond politics. He argued that economic barriers ensured that ordinary Guyanese and small businesses were effectively shut out. With general admission costing $89,000—almost the equivalent of the $100,000 cash grant he said the price alone sent a message about who the conference was really for. Small businesses, he added, faced costs of $1–2 million when transportation and accommodation were factored in.
More troubling, Adams said, was the reported barring of questions from the few locals who managed to attend. He said instead of open engagement, questions were “handpicked” and answered by panelists themselves.
“That bizarre manieuvre would have been laughable had it not been so serious,” Adams wrote, contending that it was designed to avoid scrutiny of what he described as the “abnormal running of the industry.”
Adams also pointed to the absence of UG, which he said should have been the institutional anchor for petroleum expertise development, especially when several foreign universities were prominently featured.
Exxon’s dominance
However, the most newsworthy charge from the former EPA head centered on ExxonMobil’s influence. Adams noted that the oil major reportedly sponsored the conference to the tune of US$150,000. “When Exxon sponsors at that level, it buys more than booth space and speaking slots. It buys influence in setting the agenda,” he asserted.
Exxon’s fiduciary duty, Adams argued, is to maximise production and profits for its shareholders “as quickly as possible.” The responsibility to safeguard national interest, he said, rests squarely with the Government.
“The failure lies not with Exxon for pursuing its mandate, but with Guyana’s Government for ceding its responsibility to its people,” Adams declared, referencing Justice Sandil Kissoon’s prior ruling that Exxon’s actions were enabled by what the judge described as a “derelict, pliant and submissive” government.
Adams further criticised the absence of panels addressing what he termed “burning issues,” including renegotiation of the oil contract, enforcement of environmental laws, flaring of gas, dumping of produced water, financial guarantees for oil spills, and the long-term sustainability of the Natural Resource Fund.
He also raised concerns about Guyanese workers allegedly being sidelined for expatriates, local firms facing stringent qualification standards while foreign companies receive waivers, and the continued withdrawal of oil revenues from the sovereign wealth fund in contrast to Norway’s decades-long accumulation strategy.
“It begs the question,” Adams concluded, “whose future is being built and by whom?”
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