A National Oil Spill Committee has been fully formulated to ensure Guyana is in a position to respond expeditiously to incidents that affect, or threaten to affect the environment. This is noted in the draft National Oil Spill Contingency Plan which is undergoing a final consultation process at the Herdmanston Lodge today.
The document notes that the Committee has representatives from 28 agencies, most of which are government bodies. They include the Civil Defense Commission, the Guyana Defense Force (Coast Guard), the Maritime Administration Department, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy, the Shipping Association of Guyana, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Private Sector Commission.
As part of its many responsibilities, the Committee is required to ensure that it oversees the response to oil spills by operators and service-related firms as well as monitor for performance and effectiveness. It is also expected to supervise national oil spill response training exercises; promote public awareness of, and appropriate community participation in oil spill prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response; and review contingency plans for consistency with national systems.
Guyana Standard understands that this Committee would be chaired by the Head of the Civil Defense Commission, Colonel Kester Craig and Co-Chaired by Head of the EPA, Dr. Vincent Adams.
