A team comprising members of the United States Coast Guard (USGS) and the US Department of Interior (DOI) will be in Guyana from September 6 – 8 to help finalise Guyana’s National Oil Spill Emergency Plan.
The team will be visiting Guyana under the Energy Governance Capacity Initiative (EGCI) technical assistance cooperation arrangement between the Government of Guyana and the Government of the United States of America.
It will comprise LCDR Jeff Platt, USCG – Office of Marine Environmental Response Policy International & Domestic Preparedness Division, Rachel Lipinski, Attorney Advisor, USCG – Office of Marine and International Law, Environmental Law Division and Olivia Sierra, Project Manager, DOI – International Technical assistance Program.
They are first scheduled to meet Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Joslyn McKenzie on Wednesday September 6, 2017. They are also scheduled to meet Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and Director of the Maritime Administration Department, Claudette Rogers later that day.
On Thursday, September 7, the team is scheduled to meet Acting Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Newell Dennison and Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Khemraj Parsram. They are to meet with the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard and the Civil Defence Commission later that day.
On Friday September 8, 2017 the team meets the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, the Guyana Fire Service, the Fisheries Department, Hydrometerological Department, Guyana Marine Conservation Society and Ministry of Public Health.
It is expected that the engagements will allow stakeholders to gain an understanding of Guyana’s legislative and regulatory framework, which will be the foundation of any National Contingency Plan. The mission will ensure that all parties have a full understanding of Guyana’s pollution response laws, capabilities in place, resources available and areas of risk.
