Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to an article that was published in the Stabroek News on August 17, 2024, titled ‘Environmental, community concerns over Coverden project already addressed – PWSI head’. I would like for all communities in Guyana to pay close attention to what I am about to write.
In 2021, the Global Oil Environmental Services (GOES), an American company, applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval to construct and operate an Oil and Gas Waste Treatment facility for the transfer, storage, treatment and disposal of Exploration and Production at Block ‘X’ TE Huiste, Block I, ‘T’ Hustle Coverden, East Bank Demerara. This was a joint venture partnership with JAPARTS Guyana as the local partner. The EPA issued a public notice about the proposed facility, and I was one of the residents from Coverden who filed a ‘Letter of Objection/Appeal’ to the Environmental Assessment Board (EAB). The EAB organized a hearing for those who had objected, and the developer, at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in Soesdyke.
However, before the EAB hearing, the developers, GOES and JAPARTS held a community consultation at the site where the Oil and Gas Waste Treatment facility was to be constructed. At that meeting, a representative of one the developers indicated to me that they did not anticipate that the community would have objected so strongly and this had placed them, as the developers, in a difficult situation because they had already invested millions of dollars into the venture, including renting the facility from Mr. Jettoo, and if we did not approve the venture they would have lost millions. Mr. Jettoo was the landlord for the developers GOES and JAPARTS at Block ‘X’ TE Huiste, Block I, ‘T’ Hustle Coverden. The representative further requested if we could have given serious consideration to approving the project.
I later contacted a lawyer who was well versed in policy in oil and gas and environment and shared the matter. He indicated that as villagers, we do not want it to necessarily appear as if we are just objecting to the investment but at the same time, we have to be comfortable with the investment and protect our community and the health and wellbeing of the villagers. He suggested that we should explore if there are ways to do this, so I designed a concept note for what I called an ‘Environmental and Social Impact Management Plan’ (ESIMP) which is slightly different from an Environmental Management Plan (EMP).
I shared the ESIMP concept note with the lawyer as a proposed alternative to and in the absence of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP). He indicated that I should inform the EAB of the concept note for the ESIMP. We thought that the ESIMP could have served as a management tool to guide the operations of the oil and gas waste treatment facility on how the environmental and social impacts of risks and opportunities would have been managed.
The EAB set another hearing in May of 2021, and they agreed for me to take two experts, not to participate in the hearing, but to be present. One of the experts is a Chemist and has a PhD in Soil Chemistry, the other is an expert in public policy and community development. Having listened to the presentation by the representative from GOES and the responses to questions about how the operation of the oil and gas waste treatment plant will be conducted, the soil scientist indicated to me, that once GOES do what they are saying about how they intended to operate the facility and EPA does its work on oversight and monitoring, things should be ok for the community. The public policy and community development expert indicated that once GOES and JAPARTS develop their Community Development Plan, the community should ensure that a Community Development Agreement is signed between the community and the developers.
I also shared with the two experts the concept note for the ESIMP and they agreed that it presents a framework for managing the risks and protection for the community in the venture. I therefore approved the venture at that hearing. However, although I indicated to the EAB that I had the ESIMP concept note, they never requested to review it. The developers also went around the community and got some residents to sign a list, however, many of them were hearing about the facility for the first time at that point and there were those residents who did not agree with the decision and made their disapproval known. Editor, I have to inject my faith here. I fasted and prayed for forty days during that period asking God for this venture to be discontinued if it was not good for the community and the residents. So, I was not surprised when sometime in 2022 or 2023, I learnt that GOES and JAPARTS were no longer conducting the venture, and the oil and gas facility was not moving forward.
So, we were shocked last week when we read the articles in the press about the agreement signed by the Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh which was then handed over to Go-Invest Chief Investment Officer, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop. It was even more shocking to learn that Mahendra Jettoo who was the landlord for GOES and JAPARTS, was now the Chief Executive Officer for this new company Professional Waste Solutions Incorporated (PWSI). The decision to approve the oil and gas waste treatment facility was premised on GOES’ vast experience and expertise in oil exploration and production waste disposal; treatment of drilling-related waste products; chemical and civil engineering; among others. We did not give approval for Professional Waste Solutions Incorporated, (PWSI) to operate an oil and gas waste treatment facility in our community.
What is disturbing is that the government and Go-Invest approved $214M to Professional Waste Solutions Incorporated, (PWSI), a new company, even though the company did not get approval from the community. The EPA had waved the EIA for the venture since at the time with GOES and Japarts and now a new company is conducting the operations, with no expertise in oil and gas waste treatment and the EPA has still not required an EIA. Does it mean that if Mr. Jettoo withdraws from this venture, his security guard can continue the operations of an oil and gas waste treatment facility and get hundreds of millions from the government with no EIA, EMP or safeguards in place for the environment, and residents in Coverden? Is this how business is conducted in this country? We have not given approval to Professional Waste Solutions Incorporated, (PWSI) to conduct operations of an oil and gas waste treatment facility in Coverden. We intend to seek legal advice in relation to Professional Waste Solutions Incorporated, Go-Invest and EPA. We will protest and fight to protect our community, the environment, and the health and wellbeing of the residents.
To residents in communities across Guyana, my advice based on this lesson learnt, is do not approve ventures in your communities for these complex and hazardous operations. Insist that the EPA ensures that and EIAs and EMPs are done. Do not accept EPA’s no objections to EIAs being done for these ventures. To the Attorney General, ensure that the law allows communities to do Community Development Agreements with investors on Community Development Plans/Activities. What was also interesting was that after GOES and JAPARTS were allowed to move ahead with the oil and gas waste treatment venture, National Hardware and Non-Destructive Testers Limited (Guyana) Inc., a Trinidadian company, applied to EPA for approval to Storage of Sealed Radioactive Source – Industrial Radiography Device’, at the ‘Clay Brick Factory’ in Coverden and EPA again did not require an EIA. So, Coverden was going to be the dumping ground for hazardous waste and storing hazardous chemicals if the residents did not resist. This is really all about business. COMMUNITIES, BEWARE!
The government has to develop a policy/masterplan on collection, treatment and disposal of oil and gas waste, including where the treatment facilities will be located. This government, Go-Invest and EPA are not serious about protecting communities, the environment and the health and wellbeing of citizens and we as citizens have to protect our communities. We do not want this waste treatment facility at Coverden. We have our development and growth projects and programmes, and this facility will interfere with our plans for the village.
Sincerely,
Citizen Audreyanna Thomas
August 17, 2024
