Former Minister of Public Infrastructure and the Opposition’s shadow Minister of Oil and Gas David Patterson thinks that the government’s much touted gas-to-shore project is ill-conceived and if realized will not deliver what has been promised.
He made the comment on the sidelines of a picketing exercise at the offices of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Sophia, Georgetown, on Friday. His comment comes even as the government and ExxonMobil have been engaged in preparatory works to get the project off the ground.
Government has already met with persons occupying land in the path of the pipeline and is discussing compensation and relocation, while Exxon has already awarded the contract for the construction of the pipeline. All of this is being done in the absence of an environmental permit which is yet to be issued by the EPA.