WINTRESS MORRIS AND JOY MARCUS
LEGAL CASE FILED AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Hammerhead EIA set to ignore serious harm to the Guyanese people
We, Wintress Morris and Joy Marcus have gone to court against the Environmental Protection Agency to protect Guyana and the Guyanese people from the impacts of the proposed Hammerhead petroleum project.
The Agency has put out terms of reference for the Hammerhead environmental impact assessment (EIA) which do not take into account the impact of greenhouse gas pollution from burning the oil and gas from Hammerhead. Burning that oil/gas will produce huge amounts of greenhouse gas pollution. All of us, including the Agency, know that greenhouse gas pollution harms us. It harms animals, plants and the entire planet.
Our lawyer Melinda Janki has written several letters to Kemraj Parsram, Executive Director of the Agency, reminding him that the terms of reference for the Hammerhead EIA must identify, describe and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of the project. We all know that the Hammerhead oil /gas will be burned for energy. Mr Parsram and the Agency have a duty to assess the impacts of that pollution in line with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act. Otherwise they cannot make a proper decision about Hammerhead.
As citizens of Guyana, every one of us has a right to know how this Hammerhead pollution will affect us and our families. What harm will pollution do to our children? What harm will it do to our fisherfolk? What harm will pollution do the elderly and the vulnerable in our society? What will it do to the climate and the ocean? We demand answers. We are very concerned that once again the Agency is putting the interests of ExxonMobil Guyana Ltd. above the wellbeing and prosperity of the Guyanese people.
We are disappointed that Mr Parsram has ignored our lawyer’s letters and did not correct the terms of reference for the EIA. He did not give any reasons. Last year in the unlimited parent company guarantee case the High Court criticised the Agency for taking refuge in silence, avoidance and concealment. This year they are doing the same thing. Like they don’t care. What are Mr Parsram and the Agency trying to hide this time? Mr Parsram and the Agency are disrespecting the Guyanese people and disrespecting the law.
The Agency is a public body. It is supposed to protect Guyana and the Guyanese people. It is supposed to make sure that developmental activities are properly assessed for the harm they do. Our constitution gives us a right to sustainable development. We are not anti-development. We are saying let us do development right. Follow the rules. You cannot know what is right and then do wrong.
When public bodies like the Agency do not do their job, we have a right as Guyanese to stand up and hold them to account. Our ancestors fought back against colonialism. We are not going to shame our ancestors’ memory by siting down quietly and taking handouts. We call on all Guyanese to get up and stand up. Do not let fear or intimidation silence you. Stand up for your rights. Stand up for the rule of law.
Background information
Global overheating: Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is trapping heat and making the Earth hotter like a greenhouse. That excess heat disrupts the global climate system leading to extremes of weather – more droughts, hotter temperatures, heavier rainfall, bigger storms. Excess heat also results in temperatures that are life threatening. This information was published in 1982 in a report by Exxon Engineering which predicted accurately that burning fossil fuels would heat up the earth, change the climate, and heat up the ocean.
Ocean acidification: When carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean it causes the ocean’s pH level to drop. Ocean acidification is already killing shellfish and corals.
We are represented by Attorneys-at-Law Melinda Janki, Tim Prudhoe, Anna-Kay Brown and Suzanne Bullen.
