The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Guyana will host a one day retreat on October 30 to examine extensively its processes for dealing with the oil and gas industry and its likely implications for the environment.
This was disclosed by the country’s Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who also noted that, “There is a lot of training opportunities for our EPA personnel. As you know, their headquarters is almost complete and so there is going to be an increased focus on environmental protection.”
Mr. Harmon was speaking at the time at a weekly media briefing on Thursday.
He also spoke to the environmental audits, which will be launched in 2018 to analyze the country’s capacity and that of its relevant agencies to protect the environment and endangered species.
“A year or two ago you would not have heard this conversation going on so I think it is healthy for us and our democracy and what I do hope is that at the end of all of this we can come out with some real firm procedures that can guide on a sustainable path in oil and gas,” he stated.
The Leatherback turtle is famous for choosing Guyana’s beaches as nesting sites, but the advent of oil has created one more danger for which preparations have to be made.
As the body responsible for the effective management, conservation, protection and improvement of the environment, the EPA is seen as vital to the future of the oil and gas sector as it will ensure that the compliance and monitoring that takes place in the industry are done at a level that can be matched in any other part of the world.
The EPA is also hoping to fully consult with the population on the environmental management and sustainable use of the nation’s natural resources.
