ExxonMobil was yesterday cleared for its fourth well offshore after the government issued a production licence two days after the EPA granted a stoutly contested environmental permit for what will be the largest oil extraction operation yet in Guyana’s waters.
The speed with which the production licence followed the environmental clearance will underline concerns here that the government and ExxonMobil are moving to extract oil at breakneck speed no matter the environmental and climate concerns that persist.
In its statement yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said “The approval comes after the EPA considered public inputs during all statutory periods for public consultations and review. The EPA also took into consideration the technical review and recommendations from a team of Independent International Experts, and the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB). The EAB reviewed and declared the revised EIS (Environmental Impact Study) acceptable and provided recommendations for EPA’s approval as part of the environmental permit.”