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PM: Offshore Oil, A Definite Maybe

One more public pressure issue has been offshore drilling. In the past there weeks, The Association of Protected Areas Management Organization, the Citizens for Liberation through action and the Oceana foundation have all come out against Offshore Oil exploration. They want a ban on it, even as concessions have been granted all along Belize's coast. That's after the epic disaster of the Gulf Of Mexico where millions of gallons of crude oil have spilled into the sea and are now fouling the gulf coast. But the Prime Minister today said that the evidence of that disaster alone has not been enough to convince his government to ban offshore exploration.

PM Dean Barrow
"My sense is that, that was an avoidable error. There is a degree of negligence, there is a degree of conflict in terms of the chain of command and who was giving the particular orders. It is a sobering experience. But to my mind it means that we proceed with extreme caution. It doesn't mean that we don't proceed. We clearly are a long way from any point at which drilling could begin to take place. We must be sure that before we get to that stage everything that needs to be done is done in terms of things like whatever the pre-preparatory exercises that must be gone through, that even at that level that nothing is done that increases any risk of any environmental fall-out. I don't believe that it is the proper thing to do to simply say that we threw up our hands and call the whole thing quits. I don't accept that. "

Jules Vasquez
"Is there a sufficient risk/reward, being that Belize is priceless non-renewable marine resources could be at risk? In the event of a disaster as has been proven can occur."

PM Dean Barrow
"But we are at risk in the event of natural disaster; we are at risk as a part of the normal process and rhythmn of life."

Jose Sanchez, Reporter - Channel 5 News
"Mr. Williams of Barrow & Williams is secretary for Princess Petroleum Limited, some NGOs are questioning if that's too close to the PM. Does the PM have anything personal to gain from that particular contract?"

PM Dean Barrow
"Man, you know me, the Belizean public knows me, I have nothing to gain from any contract. I don't operate in that fashion. In fact I operate in completely the opposite fashion. I distance myself from any arrangement that in any sense could even begin to raise a whiff of impropriety. I don't play that, I don't operate like that. "

Jules Vasquez
"But are you not still a beneficial partner in Barrow & Williams and if it benefits Barrow & Williams would it not then also benefit you?"

PM Dean Barrow
"Any professional work that Barrow & Williams does will benefit me. Indeed I continue to quite publicly and openly draw a share of the profits. There can be no question of me or the Government of Belize doing anything for any client of Barrow & Williams as a consequence of the representation of Barrow & Williams. That is a given."

And while the PM endorses caution, APAMO, COLA and OCEANA seem ready to band together to force a reversal of that position. We'll wait and see...

Channel 7

APAMO says ban oil drilling on seabed, but PM defends progress

Licenses issued for offshore oil exploration have stirred up environmentalists. So far eighteen companies have been granted concessions to search for petroleum on land and sea. Some of the concessions are more controversial than others because they overlap areas that contain fragile ecosystems. The Belize Barrier Reef, a World Heritage Site has been parceled off into blocks for possible drilling. The Association of Protected Areas Management Organization (APAMO) has gone on record on the behalf of environmental groups to say no to all possible drilling on the seabed. In light of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which has cost hundreds of millions of dollars so far, the prospects of oil wealth may not equal the need to protect the reef for the tourism and fishing industries and future generations. This morning, however, Prime Minister Dean Barrow indicated that he would not stand in the way of oil explorations.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

"I don't know about the technical aspects of what happened in the Gulf of Mexico. My sense is that that was avoidable error. There is a degree of negligence, there is a degree of conflict in terms of the chain of command and who was giving the particular orders. It is a sobering experience. It is a salutary experience, but to my mind it means that we proceed with extreme caution, it doesn't mean we don't proceed. We are clearly are a long way from any point at which drilling could begin to take place. We must ensure that before we get to that stage, everything that needs to be done gets done in terms of things like seismic-whatever the proprietary exercises that must be gone through that even at that level nothing is done that increases any risk of any environmental fall out. We clearly have to reexamine the capacity of the official government agencies to be able to craft the criteria that companies will have to comply with and to be able to monitor compliance with those criteria. But subject to that sort of thing, I don't believe that is the proper thing to do to simply say we'll throw up our hands and call the whole thing quits. My point is that we understand that these risks in this case can be compounded by as a consequence of the activities of human beings and we try to guard against those risks. But I don't think you simply at this point say that you will stop any possibility of progress in terms of the oil industry by putting an end to the entire process."

Channel 5

Prime Minister says his law firm's relation to oil company is transparent

Still on oil, the Prime Minister's law firm, Barrow and Williams, has been named as having a vested interest in one of the eighteen companies which have concessions to drill offshore for oil. Rodwell Williams, the lead partner of Barrow and Williams is a director in Princess Petroleum Limited, a company related to the proprietors of the Princess Hotel and Casino. Barrow said this morning that while he benefits as a partner, any arrangement that the firm has with the Princess group is free of any impropriety.

Jose Sanchez

"Mister Williams of Barrow and Williams is the secretary for Princess Petroleum Limited. Some NGO's are questioning whether or not that is too close to the P.M. does the P.M. have anything personally to gain from that particular contract?"

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

"Man, you know me, the Belizean public knows me. I have nothing to gain from any contract. I don't operate in that fashion. In fact, I operate in completely the opposite. I distance myself from any arrangement that in any sense could even begin to raise the whiff of impropriety. I noh play dat. I noh operate so."

Jules Vasquez, Channel 7

"But are you not a beneficial partner of Barrow and Williams but if it benefits Barrow and Williams, will it not also benefit you?"

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

"Any professional work that Barrow and Williams does, will benefit me because indeed I continue to quite publicly and openly draw a share of the profits and Barrow and Williams is perfectly free to represent anyone .In my own case Barrow and Williams is free to act professionally for any client. There can be no question of me or the government of Belize doing anything for any client of Barrow and Williams as a consequence of the representation by Barrow and Williams. That is a given. That admits of no argument. That is something that you can examine till the cows come home and you will find, as I have always said, and as I have always done, I will act always on the basis on what is correct, what is transparent and what is in the best interest of good administration and the people of the country."

Channel 5

"I don't know about the technical aspects of what happened in the Gulf of Mexico. My sense is that that was avoidable error. There is a degree of negligence, there is a degree of conflict in terms of the chain of command and who was giving the particular orders."
No reason to worry about the same thing happening in Belize ,things here run like a Swiss Clock!

Decisions Decisions Decisions
Guest Editorial

It has been said that it is not the diplomas and degrees that we hold that make us smart but rather the wise decisions that we make makes us smart. And this is what it boils down to in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye. We are faced with so many very important issues and we now await "wise decisions".

In too many cases, we hear the facts of issues and we then wait to hear the final decision, but do we hear the final decision? As a responsible local newspaper in Ambergris Caye, we propose to follow up and bring you the final decision because you all deserve to know.

So here is the case of the permit to "We Don't Know Who" to drill for Oil exploration right in front of Ambergris Caye and other parts of the sea. We have not heard from Caye Caulker and we are surprised. We have not heard from Glover's Reef nor Turneffe because nobody lives there. However we have heard from Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) and they are vehemently opposed to offshore drilling for oil exploration. We have heard from OCEANA and they are opposed on the same environmental concerns as APAMO.

We have heard from The Ambergris Caye Chamber of Commerce and they are fiery against this drilling for oil in the sea on the grounds that it poses serious threats to our environment and any little accident will kill our tourism industry. We have also heard from the San Pedro Tourist Guides Association and they too won't vote for it and are prepared to lead a demonstration if necessary.

We have heard from tons of tourist guides and concerned citizens of San Pedro who are saddened with the fact that the Government has given these permits to drill. To tell the honest truth, we have not heard from one single person who supports it. Wait a minute, indeed there was one caller to the Reef Radio Morning Show who has supported it.

Now, we have heard from one key person in Government and that is the Minister of Natural Resources and he has not said "NO" to this project yet. He seems to say that he still wants to consult with the experts and then make a final decision. We have heard from the Prime Minister and he said that in the United States they support offshore oil exploration. We hope that does not imply that we should support it also.

But our Prime Minister has also said that if he is convinced that it is detrimental to Belize, he will cancel the permits that have been given as sweetheart deals. Of course he was implying that it was the past administration that gave the permits. If that is so, it is good news because he will have no trouble canceling those permits.

Who have we not heard from? Our representative in government, our Area Rep has only said that he will go with is people and his constituents. He implies that if San Pedro rejects it, he will and if San Pedro approves it, he will too. What he has not said is his own feelings on the matter. And we still wait to hear from our Town Council. And we believe that these last two are the main persons that Government is waiting to hear from to make its final decision.

So we have heard the arguments and now we are nervously waiting to hear what will happen? What shall be the final decision? We only pray and hope they remove all offshore drilling concessions. It is not even worth considering with all the negative impacts that come with it, especially of Belize loses its World Heritage Status in the process. Please think smart!

Ambergris Today

Do DOE and Geology and Petroleum have the muscle to police offshore drilling?

Chief Environmental Officer Martin Alegria and Director of the Department of Geology and Petroleum Andre Cho say that while they understand concerns over offshore drilling in light of the recent Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion, Belize does have a responsibility to balance environmental concerns with its push to develop and utilize its natural resources.

Alegria concedes that Belizeans hold the barrier reef - which some say would be put at needless risk with offshore petroleum exploration - very dear to their hearts. This one asset of national patrimony unites citizens on all fronts, he commented, adding that for the DOE, the scope of concern goes beyond the reef and extends to the threat of marine pollution in general.

"Any project, program or activity that could have an impact must be looked at in the environmental screening process," said Alegria.

The key monitoring agencies are the DOE and the Department of Geology and Petroleum. For his part, Alegria said that during the screening phase, they would take into account the information from the proponent (the company) along with what they gather from a search of similar proposals around the world, the history they have had, as well as proven environmental impacts.

Asked whether their institutions have enough muscle to properly police the work of these transnational companies who have staked their bet on Belize oil, including the big wigs such as the Republic of China on Taiwan, Sol, and Princess Petroleum, Cho, the Director of the Geology and Petroleum Department, said: "If we can't do it, if we don't have the in-house expertise, we will contract international companies."

The local departments will also have to upgrade their equipment in step with such developments.

Alegria noted that the Government of Belize has recently amended the environmental laws to expand monitoring and enforcement capabilities: companies will have to put forth a performance bond (a sort of surety) and an environmental monitoring fee to assist DOE in meeting costs of doing the necessary work.

The National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) would determine the level of the performance bond and the fee, based on how many millions are invested and the ecological sensitivity of the site, based on a percentage basis.

Cho noted that in Belize, companies would have to go through the process of getting their permits, and they would also have to get environmental clearance before any work happens. During that process, all the contingency plans - including oil spill plans - would have to be presented.

"For any country, its natural resources are there to be used for the development of the country, once it is done in an environmentally sensitive manner," said Cho. "You have to balance the exploitation of natural resources and environmental protection. That's the most prudent way in developing your country. It's not banning offshore exploration or any type of natural resources."

Alegria did not take a position for or against offshore drilling, but said that during the environmental screening process, the concerns raised would have to be looked at.

In environmental management in Belize, said Alegria, a key component is public hearings. Citizens of Belize - any and everybody - can become part of the decision-making and can make recommendations to the Government on the approval or disapproval of a project proposal.

Activists lament, however, that prior to the issuance of concession parcels, there were no consultations to canvass the opinion of Belizeans on this matter.

The Association of Protected Areas Managers (APAMO), the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), and Oceana (an international agency) have all called on the Government of Belize to effect a ban on offshore drilling.

The Government has not conceded to such a view.

Amandala

"I don't agree:" Prime Barrow tells Briceño, APAMO, COLA, Oceana, BELPO

Over the past two weeks, four entities have come out against offshore petroleum drilling: the Association for Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO), the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), the Belize Environmental Law and Policy Office (BELPO) and Oceana Foundation. Additionally, Opposition Leader Johnny Briceño, a former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, has commented publicly that the Government of Belize should put a stay on the existing concessions to undertake a much-needed review, especially in light of the environmental catastrophe triggered by the British Petroleum oil rig disaster and the rising concerns by Belizeans.

"I wonder why he [Briceño] never put a stay when he was the Oil Minister and giving out concessions left, right and center," Prime Minister Dean Barrow responded Tuesday, May 25.

"We have to proceed cautiously but I do not agree with any suggestion that we simply cut and run, that we say that there can never be offshore oil exploration in this country. …" said Barrow. "You don't stop flying because there is a risk that the plane will crash."

He shared with us a letter he had just received from an oil executive in Belize whose view, said Barrow, almost entirely reflects his.

"You don't run off half-cocked, and because of what is admittedly a disaster in the States, foreclose on all your options," Barrow said the oil executive had commented. "I don't know enough to make the judgment that he has. But in his letter, he is telling me what happened in the Gulf in the US was due to problems in the chain of command, negligence and what happened was eminently preventable. ..."

The Prime Minister continued saying, "My own view is that it [the Gulf of Mexico crisis] clearly is a sobering development, but I don't think it is cause for us to throw up our hands and say that's it. Oil is something that can help this country and benefit this country enormously. There are, of course, a number of cons as there would be in any human enterprise. I believe the trick is to recognize that there are these; prepare very, very carefully; try to develop the capacity to be able to monitor."

Prime Minister Barrow restated his position that, "…giving somebody a PSA is not the end of the story. Before there can be any drilling on land or in water there must be an Environmental Impact Assessment [EIA] and there must be an Environmental Compliance Plan [ECP] that the Department of the Environment will require, will insist on! That is where the special need for special caution arises."

On Tuesday, May 11, APAMO issued a declaration on the occasion of its Annual General Meeting, calling on the Government to ban offshore petroleum exploration. Chairman of APAMO, Edilberto Romero, went further to tell our newspaper that all habitats deemed fragile in Belize should in fact be off-limits to petroleum exploration.

"One cannot make light of the potential devastation that were to occur if something were to go wrong. So all I am saying is that you then do your very best that nothing will go wrong; but I don't think you say nothing can go wrong if I do nothing and therefore let me do nothing," Barrow commented this week.

COLA (Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action) had written to Prime Minister Dean Barrow in a similar vein. OCEANA has also gone on record to oppose offshore petroleum exploration. Later, BELPO via letter to Amandala dated May 20, 2010, said that an EIA is not even required in the exploration phase.

The latest to add its voice of objection, BELPO commented: "We opposed the amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations (2007) that moved the activity of 'oil exploration' from Schedule I (meaning there MUST be an EIA) into Schedule II (meaning an EIA MAY be needed).

"We pointed to the fact that once oil is discovered, it is too late to do an EIA. A company will immediately go into high gear to pump that oil out of the ground; they will not stop to do an EIA."

According to Prime Minister Barrow, the Department of the Environment recently had to the put the brakes on operations at the wells at Never Delay, Cayo, after they discovered that Belize Natural Energy had been extracting crude oil before the ECP and EIA were approved.

"They [BNE] had started extracting oil and DOE said stop!" said Barrow, commenting that they had not yet done the EIA or the ECP for those operations. BNE executives, said Barrow, have been protesting that decision.

In the larger scheme of things, Prime Minister Barrow admits that the Department of the Environment and the Department of Geology and Petroleum need to boost their monitoring capability to handle the complexities of offshore drilling.

His understanding is that before you can get to the stage where you drill for oil, "so much has to be done... in terms of shooting seismic" and other studies.

During that period, said Barrow, the Government would bring the relevant departments up to speed with the resources they need.

If a company says it is ready to drill tomorrow and Belize is not ready to monitor, said Barrow, the company would have to hold back.

The Prime Minister told us that he was not aware that Treaty Energy Corporation of the USA had partnered with Princess Petroleum for its 2-million-acre concession offshore and onshore Belize, as had been reported in international media; neither was he aware that that US company had announced that it intends to begin drilling in Belize by July 2010 - that's just about a month away.

"Well, that is news to me," said Barrow, adding that he would find out more from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Department of the Environment and Department of Geology and Petroleum about what's going on.

The director of Petroleum and Geology, Andre Cho, when we mentioned the developments to him had told Amandala he did not know of a July start date for drilling, and furthermore noted that they had received nothing official on the joint venture operations, nor had they received notification of a geoscientist coming to Belize in May, as the company had announced internationally.

"Treaty must be talking through their hats," Barrow said in response.

Amandala

Environmentalist form coalition against offshore oil drilling

Opposition to offshore drilling continues to pick up steam. A number of environmental organizations did not agree that offshore oil drilling should be allowed to continue and have called for a ban, earlier today; they united to share one voice. BELPO, APAMO, OCEANA and COLA have come together to form a coalition which will lobby for a moratorium or a ban. Yvette Alonzo of APAMO announced the formation of the coalition after giving a presentation to the Belize Tourism Association about the effects of offshore drilling.

Yvette Alonzo, Coordinator, 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. So that we're not out duplicating resources, going and doing the same educational campaigns and so we can work together on this issue. So we've met twice so far, with the idea of forming or establishing a coalition against offshore drilling. And we, as I mentioned to Diedra in that letter, that we'd like to develop a plan; and we're in that process, however, we've actually gotten an expert, who was on the H-CAN coalition and campaign in the U.S to give us some advice, in terms of how to be successful at going about such an activity. And he, It was very insightful, in terms of what we needed, you know, to have in place in order to be successful at something like this. So, it's a work in progress, we're still at a very early stage of this process. The invitation is extended out to B.T.I.A. and other groups, who would like be part of this joint effort, in terms of, recommending or advising our government against this activity."

Channel 5

Will BTIA join Cola?

BTIA is considering joining forces with OCEANA, BELPO, APAMO, COLA and other environmental organizations to say an emphatic "NO" to oil drilling and exploration off Belize's coast. The groups met at the Radisson Fort George Hotel today to explore the possibility of establishing a task force that would draft a plan of action to address what has become one of the most sensitive national issues. The head of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, Deon Miranda says while her organization has not yet officially come out against the issue, its members are being asked to contribute to the national dialogue.

Dionne Miranda, President BTIA
"BTIA has to take an official stand, I am not sure what direction it will go. We are a lobbying association for all of our members, and we will have to poll each one of our destination, and we are hoping that before Ocean Day on June 8th, when the coalition actually state/declares their position that we will have our position clear as well at that point, so we are agitating for all of our members in tourism to go into their local chapters and make sure that we have a position from each area so that we can put forward a position on this."

Jim McFadzean
"Should offshore drilling become a reality and Belize's Barrier Reef or its waters should have to suffer the kind of damage right now that the gulf of Mexico is experiencing, this could mean the end of Tourism as we know it in Belize, am I right?"

Dionne Miranda
"Definitely, and that's why it is not only for tourism stakeholders to be interested , it's actually for government, tourism stakeholders and everybody who lives in Belize, right at this point this is our only hope for recovery in terms of this recession is tourism. And if we don't look at that from a long term perspective we could be in for very very difficult times ahead in the future."

Geovannie Brackett, Vice President - COLA
"This is not about a particular organization, it's a national issue, it's a national interest. It's important to reach out to all stakeholders, bring them on board and have them be a part of the revolutionary move. I would like to say and I believe that this is something that will transcend throughout our sectors of our community of our nation and will impact not only just the policy, maybe will impact the whole mindset, and calling on our people to take a hold of information take a hold of your resources, take a hold of what belongs to you. Belize does not belong to a particular politician or party, it belongs to us. And if we see, just look at the gulf, they cannot right now they cannot control the amount of oil that is spewing in the gulf if you look at Nigeria in the Delta and look at how many tons of oil is gushed in there, you look at the disaster in Ecuador, in Canada right now, and I am telling you, it's a global problem. And you look at those global implications and you look at the country of Belize that has the largest barrier reef in the World and you ask yourself the question: Do you wanna take that risk, and then I believe the answer is no. And so together we will form this coalition and together we will fight and together we will win."

Brackett says an alliance with BTIA which has muscle in numbers and is a major stakeholder in the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef and Belize's overall environment will bring even more attention and urgency to this national issue...

Channel 7

Opposition mounting against offshore drilling

A fresh tide of activism is rising from the usually militant south of Belize to join the opposition declared almost four weeks ago in Belize City against petroleum exploration offshore Belize.

Placencia Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development and the Monkey River Tour Guide Association are among the organizations which have joined the call made by 14 members of Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO), Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), Oceana and the Belize Intellectual Law and Property Office (BELPO) for the Government to ban offshore petroleum exploration.

The organizations are hoping to get the Government of Belize to budge from its stance that it cannot impose a ban because of existing contracts. The coastal waters of Belize, as well as the mainland, are divided up into a series of blocks, most of which are contracted out to concessionaires, primarily having United States addresses.

One accident could devastate Belize’s coastal waters and wreak havoc for the world famous barrier reef – a World Heritage Site, proponents for a ban argue.

“One cannot make light of the potential devastation that were to occur if something were to go wrong,” Prime Minister Dean Barrow commented, even while disagreeing with the calls for a ban. “So all I am saying is that you then do your very best that nothing will go wrong; but I don’t think you say nothing can go wrong if I do nothing and therefore let me do nothing.”

In concert with World Ocean Day on Tuesday, June 8, the alliance of over 20 organizations will formally launch their coalition, according to APAMO coordinator, Yvette Alonzo. The public forum, to run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., is to be broadcast live on KREM Radio and KREM TV.

On Tuesday, May 11, APAMO issued a declaration on the occasion of its Annual General Meeting, calling on the Government to ban offshore petroleum exploration. Chairman of APAMO, Edilberto Romero, went further to tell our newspaper that all habitats deemed fragile in Belize should in fact be off-limits to petroleum exploration.

Although the Opposition People’s United Party has not declared a position on the issue, Opposition Leader Johnny Briceño urged the Barrow administration to place a stay so that a proper review of the contracts can be done.

COLA had written Prime Minister Barrow in May citing concerns, especially in light of the devastating British Petroleum spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is still forcing mass clean-up campaigns more than a month later.

“The coalition is studying the socio-economic impact and the legal implications of the proposed oil exploration and drilling off our shores and in our terrestrial and marine protected areas with a view to advise the government on the need to reconsider its present policy and ban these activities in our waters and protected areas,” said a coalition statement released late last week.

Amandala