Dear Editor,
I have heard it said that Dr. Vincent Adams, Head of the EPA (now on forced sabbatical) is a political appointee and that he is not the best qualified for the post he held at the EPA. I am hoping that what follows puts to rest any and all issues about both his suitability for the EPA job and those concerns about the alleged political nature of this Guyanese’s appointment.
It is said that Dr. Adams’ presence at the EPA as its head is a political appointment. I present the following facts and leave the rest to Guyanese to decide how they wish to proceed on this issue of Dr. Adams being a political appointee. I think they speak for themselves. The position of head of the EPA was publicly advertised. Dr. Vincent Adams applied for consideration. He was shortlisted, invited to, and attended, two rounds of interviews with the Board of Directors of Guyana’s EPA. After this process, Dr. Adams was offered the job. The only thing I will say is that if Dr. Adams is a political appointee, then all of us are, too.
In the matter of whether he was/is the best qualified and most experienced for a senior role, like the one in which he served, the following is tendered for Dr. Vincent Adams re his credentials:
Ph.D. Environmental Engineering (University of Tennessee)
M.Sc. Petroleum and Geological Engineering (University of Missouri)
M. Sc Hydro Geology (Ohio University)
Interestingly, Vincent Adams was among the first batch of engineering graduates from the University of Guyana. I understand that that batch was specifically earmarked for development of the then Guyana Water Authority.
Regarding his experience, Dr. Adams has worked 30 years in his diverse fields of training and expertise. He was responsible for overseeing and managing tens of billions of US dollars annually in the discharge of his responsibilities at the US Department of Energy. In the final eleven years of his working at the US Department of Energy (DoE), he was an integral part of the Senior Executive Core, which was the highest-ranking executive group having hands-on responsibility for running the day-to-day operations. He has represented the United States at international forums and chaired two major international conferences on Environmental Science and Engineering. One was in Germany, the other in Kazakhstan. It goes without saying that one has got to know their onions, be recognized and respected by their peers, and be able to hold their own in any company to operate at that rarefied level. Fools and incompetents, as well as frauds, are not suffered gladly.
Moreover, Dr. Adams served as chair of the US chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association, which is the largest and oldest Environmental Professional Association in the world. Repeat: in the world.
Further, Dr. Adams also worked as a Senior Petroleum Reservoir Engineer with AMOCO in Texas. It is particularly noteworthy that this outstanding Guyanese did pioneering work in Oil and Gas Enhancement Recovery, which is still widely used in the industry.
I think Dr. Vincent Adams’ qualifications and track record speak loudly and volumes in both respects, as to what he brings and leaves on the table. To say he is not a supremely qualified environmentalist is an injustice. Or that he is not the most experienced. I would hope that it is not lost on my fellow Guyanese that this son of soil is almost equally well-grounded and at home in either the environmental field or that of petroleum engineering. He may be the best thing around that we have. There is nothing more for me to say or write.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
