Green Reef Coalition look at petroleum legislation and mock oil spill
Images of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico bring home the stark reality of the risks associated with offshore drilling. So far, damages have been estimated at about a billion U.S. dollars. The oil spill on April twentieth has caused a massive pollution of the waters and shores of the Gulf States. President Obama today called on British Petroleum not to nickel and dime with the persons affected. News Five’s Jose Sanchez attended a presentation staged by the environmental community on the potential risk to the barrier reef in case of an oil spill.
Jose Sanchez, reporting
Earlier in the week, several environmental organizations and an activist group presented the dangers of an oil spill to the Belize Tourism Industry Association. Marine Biologist, Melanie McField, gave a virtual example of how fast an oil spill would spread over an area such as Gladden Spit, which is along a fault line many believe has high possibility for oil discovery.
Melanie Mcfield, Marine Biologist, Healthy Reef Initiative
“One of the sweet spots that they think, right here between Glover’s and Gladden’s and South Water Caye, lots of our Marine reserves, this is after two minutes, that’s the size of the spill, now I’m gonna increase the minutes ,three minutes; and it’s just phenomenal with the currents out there, how quick it moves. We’re at nine minutes right now, this is fifteen minutes later that’s the size of the spill with just ten thousand barrels, initially. So fifteen minutes you’ve got to get the boons from, where are they? Maybe in Big Creek; in Belize City at Esso. I don’t know where they are. Nobody knows where they are. You can’t even find Martin Alegria in fifteen minutes. Nobody can. Thirty minutes, you can see its infringing all on the reef right there, getting right on the way of the whale sharks”
It’s a frightening display, and taking a look at what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico, it is not far from reality. Audrey Matura Shepherd, Oceana’s Vice President in Belize, examined the legal aspects of oil exploration.
Audrey Matura Shepherd, VP, OCEANA Belize
“My areas of concerns are, what does our legal system offer to common people like us the common people, should there be a problem, you need to know that, what are your legal right? And then we look a what the petroleum act is all about , how weak it is and what can be improved; and what we can present to the government; because it is to help them to make the right decisions.”
During her presentation, Matura Shepherd, also an attorney exposed some loopholes in the oil legislation.
Audrey Matura Shepherd
“This is the clinch of it. Only the attorney general can initiate an action on your behalf. Now, this is so ironic; because in our Petroleum Act the only person who can exploit oil in Belize is the government. And if you know the Attorney General is the attorney for the government. So here is the government into a progression agreement, let’s create one of them—Princess. So government and Princess have an agreement. Government gets the benefits; Princess gets the benefits and viola, something happens. Then the Attorney General, who is the attorney for the government, will have to now consider ‘Do I start a claim for these people, against myself?’ I don’t think so. But that’s our law.”
Shepherd pointed out that several of the companies may be in violation of the legislation.
“If we had the body of people that should have been vetting these, they would have realized that, hey they are violating the act, they had one year and they didn’t do anything. They’ve had contracts that have been extended for some of them up to five years. But they’ve done absolutely nothing; it’s like their just trying to speculate. They’re holding on to these concessions, with the hope that they get a higher bidder, as word gets out, Ey! Belize has oil. Everybody will be rushing and they will be speculating on the lease that they have. That was never the intention of the legislation; but we’ve created it, the weakness created that; and f we would have had people policing to make sure, that after the one year period laps or the two year or the three year period laps, then there would not have been a problem. For example, when I did the company search, more than one of the companies has not been filing their annual returns. Now, that is in violation of the company act and if you are in violation of the company act, you can be scratched off the register. If you are scratched off the company’s act. Your contract absolutely becomes void right.”
The NGO’s explored the idea of a green reef coalition which was formed during the presentation. A unified message will now be spilled from the mouth of the coalition.
Yvette Alonzo, APAMO.
“As you all know APAMO, BELPO, COLA, Oceana have all publicly taken a position to request for a ban on offshore drilling; and as a result we got together and we decided that there was a need to form some sort of coming together and uniting out efforts.”
The question brought up at the presentation is, will BTIA join the green reef coalition? According to B.T.I.A.’s president, it is a reality.
Dionne Chamberlain Miranda, President of B.T.I.A
Dionne Chamberlain Miranda
“We want to be able to tell the coalition, if we want to be a part of them, by June 8, when it’s ocean day. So the reality is that we’re really asking our membership to try and pull together their responses by 5th, we have a lot of them are positive and are already on the bandwagon and want to continue. But again like I said, The B.T.I.A does not act on its own it needs consultation from its membership, which I think that we need to make sure that the consolation goes countrywide; and if indeed if we need to ask the government to look into a referendum, then we need to look at that as well and place a moratorium that no more new license are given and no more renewals are given.”
The petroleum legislation is weak, and if it is not fixed, it may prove even deadlier than a potential oil spill. Jose Sanchez reporting for News Five.
Just before departing for Miami on Thursday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that he is not closing the doors on a moratorium on future oil concessions.
And all of a sudden these environmentalists out of nowhere have become Belize’s leading authority on offshore oil drilling. Very interesting!!!
i think Btia should join. they will join. NOw the question is, will BTB join? Will the people join? if oil is found, then what will we do? will we watch another BNE get away with riches and while we get little?the production sharing agreement can’t be kept at 90 dollars a barrell.lower it.
Well somebody needs to seize Dean Barrows hands from opening any door to oil concessions because his government is never and will never be ready to control future disastrous like the BP oil spill..Hell he cannot even rebuild that Kendal bridge down south, which needs very little financial expense compared to thousands of billions of dollars that will be spent by the U.S government to try to stop that Bp leak and plus the environment n wildlife that money can never ever fix or replace..Belize is way too small and unprepared for any offshore oil drilling, regardless of any small benefits..offshore drilling is not for Belize yet..someone needs to sink this message into Dean Barrows head!
Yeah, it’s good, very useful, thanks 🙂
Let me tell you guys something…Im in support of ofshore oil exploration IF negotiated properly. Good points you all have made, but never say our country is too small to control such development, because there are countries smaller than us who do a better job. show some patronage and think of your country and never deny development.. What we dont have now, is smart politicians. whether PUP or UDP. Dont blame one political party, because BNE started under the PUP administration. I agree that if an oil spill occurs in our waters it would be very expensive , one that our country is not financially equipped to spend on oil spill. Thats why we have conracts and conditions. This is where the government should be strict and set standards and stipulations if anything of such should happen. BP are the ones with the billion dollar expense, not the US govrnment.
oil exploration is not directly on the reef you know, its just those waste of time NGO’s exagerating the scenario..the7 are worrying about loosing the world heritage site status cause by having that status it grants them financial oppurtunities of which there pockets get full. If you question there expenses they are corrupted as gov’t. You think Matura woulda leave the big bucks being a lawyer to join oceana for smaller bucks. have you ever heard NGO’S conducting nursery ground for corals, conchs and other marine life as fisheries dept is doing or managing hazardous material, garbage, soil, air water and noise pollution, water quality monitoring as the department of the environment.
Hey Islander, the environmentalists have always been there trying to figure out other issues, where have YOU been?
belizean girl… you may have a point, but i cant think of any other country either small or big that has a barrier reef this long… and still drills! The Belize BArrier Reef as part of the greater MEsoamerican barrier reef is worth many more illions of present and future dollars than any oil under it. If they drill foreigners will get rich (and barrow too) but as it is, lots of belizean have a decent and honest way of making a living. think about that and above all put CNN for a change and see what the gulf of mex residents think about offshore drilling.
why are you people so negative? People , belizean people…please stop being negative.
stop being so nagative!
aye man!! See how uno think. This is what is wrong with you guys. You are too closed minded and are emotionally responding on behalf of the reef..C, when I meant other countries smaller than us do a better job than us, I did not think only about the reef, they have other precious resources as valuable to then as the reef is to us. Or they might not have a reef as big as us but they do have reef. St Kitts has a reef system, A country a little bigger than San Pedro with approximatley 50 to 60000 people. Talking about CNN, I intuned even before the oil spill. You have not watched it enough to listen at the facts and at the pro’s and Cons, you are only interested in the cons cause thats what interest you. Thats how you look at things! You weigh both sides. Leave your emotional response aside and think like a citizen of a developing country. All these white people jumping and crying about offshore drilling are threatened at our resources and our capabilities of being wealthy and independent of them. I do agree that off shore drilling has negative effects but as per your CNN remark there are many citizens that are still not against it because of the fact that the spill was pure negligence. And I clearly stated that I would support offshore drilling ONLY and I stress ONLY if proper negotions and strict stipulation are placed if future accidents should occur. As per man power to monitor, the company should be responsible to pay Government for the creation of employment in this area. But will government take these measures, They are all a bunch of hopless ignorant fools. both parties.
Yup Islander I do agree, especially Matura, Now thats a joke…..”len” thats all they do “try to figure out issues” wow…millions of dollars of received funds and thats all that they do….essay competition goes a long way Oceana Ha! what a joke…thats all they do with their money..I do agree public awareness is needed and the best strategy, I mock not the idea of it but I mock the idea of only it. get me! They are as corrupted as politicians.