The EPA says it has instructed ExxonMobil to begin its own probe of the seepage of a noxious substance at Crane, West Coast Demerara.
A statement from the EPA follows:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken note of an article published in the Kaieteur News on October 21, 2024, under the headline, “Former EPA Head calls for independent probe into environmental complaints at Crane, Linden,” and provides the following comments:
1. Firstly, the EPA cannot help but observe that the comments were made during a news conference hosted by a political party. While the Agency would not respond to political statements, it is incumbent upon us to again set the records straight regarding the sequence of events and the role of the EPA in these matters.
2. Executive Director of the EPA, Mr. Kemraj Parsram, has previously spoken with media representatives in several invited comments and the Agency has disseminated information in media statements concerning both the seepage at Crane, West Coast Demerara and the claims of the dust pollution at the Nooitgedacht access road, Linden.
3. The article itself explains that the Agency is currently engaged in collaborative work with other entities, thereby confirming the fact that the EPA is already in the process of validating the claims and making site visits for assessment purposes. This process would include the EPA carrying out its own testing on samples.
4. It has therefore become public knowledge that the Agency’s investigations have commencedwith reviewing the information received from relevant parties, including residents, with a view to understanding the impact on the various communities. These activities of the Agency have been reported in the news.
5. These investigations must be done thoroughly and samples are being sent for further lab testing, as the Agency’s initial tests using field equipment have been inconclusive. At the moment, as the investigations continue, the EPA and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) are awaiting the results of the lab analysis from the Government’sForensic Lab.
6. However, in the meantime, the EPA instructed ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL) to immediately activate their own investigation under the Project Community Grievance Mechanism, which is part of the mandate of the Agency.
7. In turn, the EPA has received confirmation that the EMGL has enacted the GrievanceMechanism process and they are conducting their independent investigation into the incident. These findings will be reported to the Agency, evaluated by the EPA’s Technical Team, and appropriately disseminated as soon as the information becomes available.
8. To suggest that ExxonMobil Guyana Limited is doing the work of the Agency is not only an inaccurate comment but also suggests that the information being disseminated by the EPA and covered in the media was deliberately ignored at the news conference.
9. As stated before, the Agency is still actively continuing investigations and, when completed,will notify all relevant parties. The Agency will take any action necessary based on the findings from these investigations.
10. The Agency again wishes to invite all residents who notice similar occurrences to contact the Agency at telephone numbers 592-225-5467-68, 592-225-6044, 592-225-6048, 592-225-0506, 592-225-5471 and 592-225-5472, or via email epa@epaguyana.org.
11. Finally, the EPA wishes to appeal to all concerned parties to desist from making public statements that will only serve to cause alarm and create panic among residents of these areas.
