Guyanese team at Oil Spill Response Planning Workshop

A five-member team is representing Guyana at the first Global Workshop on Oil Spill Response Planning in New Orleans.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the two-day workshop offers the opportunity to discuss commonalities and differences in disaster preparedness, oil spill response planning and environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting, especially as it affects offshore production operations and spillage among the United States and the participating EGCI countries. Participants will also be able to network and explore opportunities for long-term working relationships with sector experts, the release stated.

The team comprises persons from the Ministry of Natural Resource, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the release said.

According to the release, the workshop builds on conversations from the October 2015 International Regulators Forum in Washington DC and is being hosted by the Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative (EGGI). The EGGI is a US Department of State led interagency effort that provides a range of technical and capacity building assistance to the governments of the select countries to help them establish the capacity to manage their oil and gas sector resources responsibly.

As a recipient of the initiative, Guyana’s participation in the global workshop allows it the opportunity to tap into the US Government’s considerable expertise and capabilities in oil spill response planning in order to provide assistance that is tailored to the specific needs of Guyana, the release said. The workshop, which began yesterday, ends today.