From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
"Bahamas Oil Drilling Not a Job Creator"
By Diane Phillips & Associates
Jun 19, 2014 - 11:28:58 PM
Sam Duncombe, Founder / reEarth, Director / Save The Bays
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Oil drilling in The Bahamas will likely
generate work for no more than a handful of locals while putting
thousands of tourism and commercial fishing jobs at risk, reEarth
president Sam Duncombe warned.
Addressing a College of The Bahamas (COB) Inaugural Environmental Law and Policy Conference,
Duncombe said most oil industry jobs tend
to be temporary and mostly reserved for foreigners – making the
domestic benefits minimal, while the potential threat to established and
profitable industries remains very high.
“The majority of jobs created by the offshore
oil and gas industry during the construction phase are short-term, and
most of these jobs go to people from outside the region, whereas the
thousands of jobs dependent on the commercial
fishing industry and tourism are long term and based on a sustainable
resource,” she said.
“Pollutants from the offshore oil industry
have significant adverse effects on fish stocks' ability to produce
healthy eggs and larvae, and, therefore, on the sustainability of the
fishing industry. The Bahamas’ multi-million dollar
tourism industry is dependent on healthy and unspoiled coastal waters.
Toxic pollutants emitted by the offshore oil industry can destroy
wetlands, wildlife, and contaminate the water.”
Duncombe added that any oil that may be
discovered in Bahamian waters will be destined for the US market, and
therefore will not result in lower gas or electricity prices for
Bahamians either. According to the veteran environmental
advocate, drilling for oil and gas creates pollution in a variety of
forms, all of which affect marine biological diversity.
“A single exploratory well dumps
approximately 25,000 pounds of toxic metals into the ocean. Routine
offshore drilling operations dump thousands of pounds of drilling mud
into the ocean, which contain such toxic heavy metals as lead,
chromium, and mercury, as well as potent carcinogens like toluene,
benzene, and xylene,” she said.
“A single offshore rig emits daily the same amount of air pollution as 7,000 cars driving 50 miles.
Pile drivers are used to drive steel columns
into the seabed. Their threat to marine animals is relentless. The
noise and vibrations caused by the punishing blows of these industrial
giants has been shown to drown out communication
between marine mammals.”
In recent years, there have been several
applications for permits to drill for oil in Bahamian waters. Before
coming to office, the governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) promised
to hold a national referendum on oil exploration
before allowing any of the projects to go forward. However, following
their successful 2012 election bid, the PLP went back on this promise,
announcing that exploratory wells would be allowed in an effort to
discover if are any oil reserves in Bahamian territory
before a public vote is held.
Minister of the Environment, Kenred Dorsett,
has announced that the government is currently considering five draft
Bills and regulations that would govern petroleum exploration and
extraction.
Duncombe called on the minister to share the
proposed laws with the public and consider feedback before bringing them
to parliament for debate.
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