Taking into consideration ExxonMobil Corporation’s record of environmental damage in various countries, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Jermaine Figueira, said a recent High Court ruling ordering the oil giant to provide an unlimited parent guarantee agreement, is a justified precaution for Guyana.
The ruling which was recently delivered by Justice Sandil Kissoon, ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue an Enforcement Notice to Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and its parent company, ExxonMobil, to ensure they provide an unlimited parent guarantee agreement as well as an insurance package from an independent firm to safeguard Guyana against all costs associated with the devastating effects of an oil spill.
While the ruling was met with mixed reactions, the government has expressed strong disapproval. Yesterday, the EPA also filed an appeal to the decision.
In a letter to the editor published in various media outlets, Figueira highlighted some of Exxon’s previous environmental infractions. He cited the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, which killed countless marine lives, contaminated the environment severely, and impacted the livelihoods of local fishermen.
Figueira also mentioned ExxonMobil’s involvement in the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project, which caused significant environmental damage to the surrounding areas.
In Guyana Standard’s independent search it was found that after the massive 1989 oil spill in Alaska, Exxon found itself in a 13-year courtroom battle over damages. A jury had ordered Exxon to pay US$5 billion in punitive damages for the economic harm and devastation its operations caused, especially to commercial fisheries. The company was also ordered to pay three Niger Delta communities US$10.1 million as compensation for the effects of a 1998 oil spill, where over 40,000 barrels were spilled when a pipeline connecting ExxonMobil’s offshore Idoho platform to its Qua Iboe oil export terminal, succumbed to wear and tear.
As Figueira accused Exxon of prioritizing profits over sustainable development, he said, “It is therefore important to recognize that these past experiences have shown that Exxon’s underlying focus is merely on profits and not sustainable development”. Further to that, he urged that Guyana should enforce stricter environmental regulations and standards to mitigate and prevent harm from Exxon or any other operators in the country.
Meanwhile at a press conference yesterday, Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton accused Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and his government of being unpatriotic in their appeal of the case, stating that they are willing to fabricate issues with the case to sell the national patrimony. He further claimed that their response to the ruling is a clear indication that they do not believe in the rule of law and democracy and are practising authoritarianism.
According to Norton, “Appealing this case is a waste of taxpayers’ money by the PPP and Jagdeo. To appeal this case is to appeal against our own environmental laws, and against the safety and health of our people”.