Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 01, 2022 News
– environmentalists tell EPA; want list of companies transporting hazardous waste
By Davina Bagot
Kaieteur News – A total of 54 citizens have lashed out against Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to carry out its functions.
The deficiency, according to the activists, comes as a result of the agency not fully utilizing a US$1 million World Bank loan to boost the institute’s capacity.
In an open letter to the EPA and the Environmental Assessment Board this week, environmentalists and civil society activists Danuta Radzik, Janette Bulkan, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes, Alissa Trotz, Maya Trotz, Jocelyn Dow, Vanda Radzik, Karen de Souza, the Red Thread organization, Denise Murray and Charlene Wilkinson among several others argued that the failure to utilize the grants have created a gap in protecting the people of Guyana.
“We note the many failings of the EPA, which has a duty under the EPA Act “to provide protection, manage the natural environment and assess impacts of development activities on the environment by conducting, promoting and coordinating research on pollution and prevention; formulating standards, guidelines and codes of practice for improvement and maintenance of the environment including the release of contaminants into the environment; monitoring and coordinating natural resources and how they are being impacted, advising key stakeholder on the content and applicability of environmental control instruments, and providing general information to the public on the state of the environment,” they said.
Additionally, it was noted, “Guyanese citizens, communities and workers are therefore more at risk of exposure to pollutants, known and unknown. This lack of capacity is in itself a failure by the EPA to protect the Guyanese people and our environment. Further, our constitutional right to access information and our right to participate in environmental decision making has been violated.”
As a consequence, the environmentalists said that the EPA should halt the waivers of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for all onshore facilities that receive, store and dispose of hazardous, radioactive and other types of oil and gas related chemicals.
They believe that by not ordering an impact study, citizens in various communities are being denied an opportunity to share their specific concerns. During an EIA process, the developer is mandated to carry out consultations, however in the absence of that study, a developer may not conduct such meetings.
To this end, the environmentalists lobbied the EPA to ensure that comprehensive consultations are held with communities and residents residing in the vicinity of all on-shore facilities that would treat with hazardous and radioactive oil and gas related wastes. They are of the view that these consultations ought to occur on a continuing basis to ensure that no harm is meted out to citizens or the environment, rather than only during the EIA process.
Given that permits have been granted in the past without being subjected to an environmental study, the activists said, “Publicise without delay all the companies that have environmental permits to receive, handle, store, treat oil & gas wastes or operate mud plants and their waste management plans, to ensure compliance with international best practices. Where these are deficient or absent, we call for a stop notice / cease order until compliance is met, subject to inspection by suitably qualified experts.”
Additionally, they called on the regulator to publicise the permits for all vessels that have been certified to transport wastes to onshore as well as the permits for all road transportation vehicles that move radioactive sources and other types of hazardous waste. The group said regular inspections should be done to the various vessels being used for transportation to ensure they have the necessary facilities to safely operate.
In keeping with its mandate, the environmentalists also said the EPA must ensure that hazardous waste facilities comply by reporting their harmful air emissions, noise and dust pollution, as well as structural damage to roads, homes and businesses. These reports, the group urged, should be investigated without delay while reports on type, quantity, frequency, containment, classification of wastes and destination to and from waste management facilities should be made available to communities directly affected, workers and the Guyanese public.
Another recommendation made to the EPA was to ensure collection of baseline data as well as continued monitoring of air emissions and other sources of radioactive contamination, including exposure to workers and residents, particularly children living in close proximity to such facilities. These monitoring results must be publicly disseminated, they insisted.
Importantly, they pointed out that the agency should ensure notices of application for all oil & gas related projects are advertised prominently in all major newspapers, television and radio stations while an extended timeline should be allowed for objections to be made within a minimum of 60 days. Residents of Houston, East Bank Demerara have moved to the local Courts to secure an order to quash the EPA’s decision to grant the US-owned onshore oil and gas company, permission to build the radioactive storage facility there.
Citing a host of grave health and environmental dangers, the residents claimed the authorisation granted by the EPA was done in absence of evidence, on whimsical and capricious grounds which are against the agencies own policies and without any legal foundation or authority. It was pointed out by attorneys for the applicant, that while the EPA failed to publish its decision to waive an EIA for the Houston Facility, the agency, in the case of another radioactive facility at Coverden, EBD made sure the waiver was made public.
The Environmental Assessment Board later overruled the EPA decision to set aside an EIA for the project. Radioactive waste materials if not properly managed can be a risk to human health and the environment. Exposure to high levels of radioactive substances can lead to severe health problems. Among these are complications of the central nervous system, intestinal lining, cancers and ultimately death.
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