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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
Bahamas Environment Minister: FNM statement on oil wrong on the facts
By Hon. Kenred Dorsett MP Minister of The Environment and Housing
Mar 15, 2013 - 9:27:33 AM
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FNM Statement on Oil: Wrong on The Facts Hon. Kenred Dorsett MP Minister of The Environment and Housing
Days after the government’s announcements regarding the exploration for oil near our maritime border with Cuba, the FNM has responded with a statement riddled with factual errors.
Oil exploration is an important topic; one hopes that in the future the opposition party will examine the facts carefully so they can participate responsibly in public debate.
The first of multiple errors is the misleading assumption that exploration will take place without new regulations.
Of course, as has been made abundantly clear, upon entering office, the government prioritized the modernization of regulations governing offshore exploration.
As Minister Dorsett has articulated clearly, the nation’s regulations governing offshore exploration will combine the best practices identified in similar regulations promulgated in the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States (as modified after the Gulf of Mexico incident), and Greenland.
The regulations will also materially reflect the consensus view of the International Regulators Forum, a group of ten national regulators (including, for example, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority of Australia, and the Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway).
Offshore exploration itself requires substantial advance planning; it will be at least a year before the first exploratory well is drilled. The modernized regulations, which will require up-to-date risk management practices, the most advanced response technology, and new oversight and monitoring protocols, will be published in the coming weeks and will be in place many months prior to any exploration.
The FNM pretends to agonize about the availability of an environmental impact study – this, of course, can be found on the front page of the BEST Commission’s website: HERE. (large file please be patient for download)
Next up, the worn-out charges regarding a supposed conflict of interest. Bahamas Petroleum Company has engaged law firms associated with both parties for legal and consulting advice. As a publicly-traded company, BPC is bound by the continuous disclosure obligations mandated by the London Stock Exchange. This is a red herring – and a tired old one at that.
It is this government that has decided that the production of oil will not happen without national consensus; the previous government did not prioritize public support on this or multiple other issues.
Again, as has been stated repeatedly, the government intends to lead a very detailed, comprehensive public consultation process regarding oil – if, in fact, it is determined there is oil in sufficient quantities to produce commercially, and if that oil can be produced with minimal risk to our environment.
One could forgive Bahamians who suspect that the FNM’s muddled, fact-free position on oil exploration reflects partisan posturing rather than a careful examination of the national interest.
Bahamians have embraced the common sense path laid out by the government; the FNM should put aside knee-jerk responses and do the same.
© Copyright 2013 by thebahamasweekly.com
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