A group of citizens has called on the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) to declare the impact survey for ExxonMobil’s proposed Yellowtail oil well null and void and for the process to be restarted.
Citing unanswered questions and concerns about the consulting firm which did the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed well, the citizens in letters of December 10th to EAB Head Omkar Lochan and the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kemraj Parsram called for a “reset” for the application for an environmental authorisation for the project. The EAB presides over appeals of EPA decisions.
The conduct of the EPA in relation to authorisations for the activities of ExxonMobil’s subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has come under increasing scrutiny from civil society groups and activists. The letters to Lochan and Parsram were signed by Simone Mangaly, Alfred Bhulai, Vanda Radzik, Jatte Bulkan, Danuta Radzik, Jerry Jailall, Alissa Trotz and Maya Trotz.