As ExxonMobil is still experiencing compressor problems offshore and the flaring of natural gas continues, attorney and civil society activist Melinda Janki has called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to shut down the company’s operations and investigate if it using the most appropriate technology as is required in its contract.
“The EPA should shut down Esso (Exxon’s subsidiary) until (i) Esso has the technology in place to re-inject the gas and stop all flaring; and (ii) The EPA has the people and technology to monitor the operations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The EPA should not take anything on trust,” Janki told Sunday Stabroek.
“The Environmental Protection (Agency) Act requires Esso to use the most appropriate technology. Instead of (promoting) the use of ‘associated gas’, the press should demand proof from Esso that Esso did in fact install the most appropriate technology. The press should also demand that the EPA investigates Esso to verify whether Esso installed the most appropriate technology before it started production in December 2019,” she added.