While the United States is currently assisting Guyana in putting mechanisms in place to address any occurrence of an offshore oil spill, it also recognises that work must be done to put policies in place to ensure sound environmental practices for the petroleum sector.
“Do I think Guyana has the capacity to get the policies in place? Without a doubt, no doubt about it but people need to roll up their sleeves and really work. It is the only way it is going to happen,” US Ambassador to Guyana Perry Holloway told Stabroek News.
“No one ever wants an oil spill but you have to hope for the best and plan for the worst… No one is ever ready for an oil spill but I hope you put in the time and effort that you possibly can. You never know how ready you are until an oil spill occurs and you see how it happens but hopefully we won’t have to worry about that,” he added.
Public concern has been raised about local environmental agencies not being equipped to undertake monitoring of the petroleum industry.
The United States envoy informed that his country was currently assisting in trying to increase awareness and training as it pertains to the industry, including facilitating seminars and training for local government employees.
However, Holloway stressed that no one is ever prepared for an oil spill. “We have already had a couple of seminars and training in the country on oil spill management.
Right now four or five employees of government are going to the United States for additional training on oil spill management and risk. Starting out, you are never going to be ready. You have to depend both on your own resources and the resources of the company doing the exploration…luckily, ExxonMobil has one of the highest safety standards in the world and they are very concerned about safety. I can say I have seen them operate in other countries,” he said.
Only last month, a five-member team represented Guyana at the first Global Workshop on Oil Spill Response Planning, held in New Orleans, USA. The workshop offered 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.
The team comprised personnel from the Minis-try of Natural Resources, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the Ministry of Natural Resource had said in a statement.
Also, local company Gaico Construction Inc. has also launched an Oil Spill Response Operation, at a cost of US$500,000, that is to help to free the environment of pollution, as Guyana prepares to drill for oil. The company is seeking the requisite approval to set up an oil spill facility.
‘Utopia’
Meanwhile, Holloway also lauded efforts by government to push its green economy initiative and he said the country can create a “utopia” if it creates a balance by channeling funds garnered from oil revenues to develop a green economy.
“Imagine what a Garden of Eden Guyana would be if you took all your energy by green methods—hydro, wind, solar, whatever it is—and then you’re producing offshore petroleum, which you sell and get refined and then maybe the only thing you have that is not green is cars because getting your whole country full of cars that doesn’t run on gasoline is a very difficult thing and a long term endeavour … that would be the perfect definition. You are selling the petroleum to get revenues to then promote your own efforts at providing the rest of your energy needs for electricity, for living and manufacturing, to me, is a very balanced activity,” Holloway posited.
But the US diplomat was quick to explain, making reference to his own country, that diversity was the key and that petroleum should not be altogether shunned in the short-term.
“Diversity is the key…if you put all your eggs in one basket and depend on one energy source, green though it may be, and say the sun stops shining one day as brightly, you are going to suffer. The US’ energy policy is while we are very green in our energy policy we recognise that petroleum is a key component of our energy policy and will be for decades to come and I think Guyana will reach the same conclusion. You cannot go from a petrol-based economy to a non-petrol economy in, say, one year, four years, ten years or probably even 100 years,” he said
