Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 04, 2022 News
– Alfred Bhulai says ToR of EIA for Uaru project yet to be released; EPA refuses to answer questions at public consultation
Kaieteur News – Over a month ago, United States oil major ExxonMobil and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a public consultation at the Umana Yana in Georgetown, to hear the public’s concerns on the fifth project-Uaru Plus being pursued by the company, however, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refused to answer questions from the public, while noting that the regulations do not permit the Terms of Reference (ToR) for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be released.
To this end, a past representative of the Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), Mr. Alfred Bhulai has said that the government and the EPA are complicit in hiding information from the public. A ToR for an EIA outlines the scope of the study to be undertaken and gives the public an understanding of the dept. and credibility of the environmental impact assessment being conducted.
In a letter to this newspaper, Bhulai- an Energy Technologist chronicled that his first question to the consultancy firm- Acorn International (AI)- that will be undertaking the EIA was “Who hired you?” One of the Consultants, Grace Russell responded that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) the local subsidiary of Exxon had contracted the team.
He went on to explain that a copy of the ToR for the job was requested and while the AI Consultant said it would be shared, a representative of the EPA pointed out that the regulations do not permit the disclosure of the terms of reference. Bhuali said, “I interjected that the regulations do not forbid it. The MC said the Acorn reply stands. I suppose the EPA’s reply also stands. Let us see which one of these contradictions wins.”
In his missive Bhulai contended, “I must reiterate that Section 4.(1)(b) of the Environmental Protection Act states that one of the functions of the EPA is to promote the participation of the public in the process of integrating environmental concerns in planning for development on a sustainable basis. Nowhere does it state that the EPA knows best what is good for the public. That is why public participation must be promoted. Meaningful participation cannot mean non-disclosure of a foundational document like the terms of reference of a company that is going to undertake environmental assessment ostensibly for the benefit of the public to whom the document is denied. If it is not for the benefit of the public, then for whose benefit is it?”
In fact, the transparency advocate pointed out that availability of such a document as the ToR will mean that the EPA’s competence will also be open to scrutiny. “The competent public will want to know whether the EPA has specified all the environmental variables that must be studied. Hiding the ToR will only increase the suspicion that the EPA is exempting vital environmental impacts from the inception. This is not good for the credibility of a supposedly autonomous body in whom the public is supposed to repose trust,” he reasoned.
Bhuali was keen to note that even though he was required to register his contact information at the public scoping exercise, the ToR has not been received to date. In a bid to follow up on his request, the Energy Technologist explained that he visited the AI website a week later to request the document. According to him, “Shortly after submission I got a reply saying, “Thank you for contacting us. We will reach out to you as soon as we can.” That was a month ago. So up to the time of writing this letter the EPA dictum has prevailed over the assurances I was given by Acorn International and the MC at the Uaru scoping session.”
The activist argued “Get this: the EPA, a body that is supposed to promote public participation chokes off the information promised (to) the public by an environmental consultant company hired by the oil companies.”
Bhuali noted in his letter to the editor since Exxon is pursuing its fifth project, data should be available to give the public some confidence in the system; but even though the EPA said they are now monitoring data, the Energy Technologist said he has received none-though requested over a year ago. Specifically, Bhulai had asked the EPA to share data on temperatures, pressures, flows, etc., of oil, water, gas and their analyses on a daily basis. It was here that the host injected to explain that the EPA was not at the session to answer questions.
“I threw up my hands in frustration. What were they there for? To see that he does his job of keeping the public happy with polite platitudes? Here we have our EPA hiring a professional presenter to front for it so that it does not answer questions from the public! This also effectively stopped the other questions I had about the monitoring of the hazardous wastes they keep claiming they treat to international standards. We were given a sheet of paper at the end to write our unaired questions to the EPA, no doubt as part of the empty show of accommodating the public, but there is no confidence that any answer will ever be forthcoming,” he argued.
On the other hand, as it regards baseline studies, Bhulai said the Consultant noted baseline studies were done; however when he requested information on a popular species- red snapper- on where they are born, breed, their paths and where they are caught, a Biologist from the firm said he would “talk to me afterwards.”
“Talking afterwards…he only admitted to having data on fishing and where how much fish are caught. Without baseline studies, the oil companies, the government, and the EPA are allowed to maintain any fictions they want about matters affecting the livelihoods of fisherfolk,” Bhulai argued.
Another concern that was raised by the Energy Technologist was also evaded as the EEPGL representative, Anthony Johnson could not share what the Gas to Oil Ratio (GOR) would be for the fifth project. Bhuali said he was told “It is an easy question; Uaru is only planned, so we cannot say what the GOR is. But since it is between the LIZA 1 and 2, I should be able to tell you about theirs, but I can’t, since I have only just arrived.” The transparency activist explained that this question was specifically asked estimate the level of flaring independently.
“I repeat, my contact details were documented upon entering the Umana Yana but it obviously was thought neither polite, nor politic to supply me the GOR for LIZA 1 and 2 later. Therefore, the oil companies want to continue to make claims that they want no one to check, and the government and the EPA are complicit in hiding the information,” Bhulai concluded.
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