Dear Editor,
While meetings which facilitate discussions surrounding US Exim ‘Bank’s support towards Guyana’s transformational Gas-to-Energy project’ continue but before ExxonMobil completes the approximately US$1B pipeline would the Environmental Protection Agency kindly inform whether the contractual obligations in the Environmental Permit 2021528-NGPLE have been upheld.
In both Q3 and Q4/2023, as a resident in the area of influence of the pipeline, albeit not consulted before the submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment, I had discussions with the head of the Oil and Gas unit at the Environmental Protection Agency about the mandated requirement of an updated Environmental and Social baseline study. At that time, he informed that the terms of reference referred to in section 4 of the Environmental Permit were not yet finalized, a copy attached herewith. Recently, in the Q3/2024 I once again inquired at both the Environmental Protection Agency and ExxonMobil about this contractual undertaking. Silence, the usual modus operandi, has been the only response. This study is a necessity as it becomes the new baseline on the completion of the pipeline. The information contained therein is data which will be a necessity in the future should any health, legal, environmental and/or other action/s become alive at that time. Would the Environmental Protection Agency kindly indicate whether this contractual obligation has been completed and release the updated Environmental and Social study.
Further, in the current season of the environmental permit transfers, would the Environmental Protection Agency kindly indicate the following with respect to the Gas-to-Energy Environmental Permit 2021528-NGPLE:
· Has the NGL plant been transferred out of this permit?
When was this transfer undertaken?
· Was it transferred to a government entity?
· To which government entity was it transferred?
· Will the permit without the NGL plant be uploaded on their website or is it available in hard copy?
Yours sincerely,
Elizabeth Deane-Hughes
