A vigorous debate is ongoing regarding the operationalisation of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF). In his last Stabroek News column, Mr Christopher Ram cites legal reasons why the NRF Act is not in operation. He also raises the possibility that the government may not want to operationalise the existing Act since it was passed in…
On Sunday we read that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said that government has nothing to hide and will be transparent in all oil and gas-related matters, and that he has suggested that the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) set up a portal for the publishing of real-time information, but that initiative has not been taken…
Why can’t the government publish production data on the Ministry of Natural Resources website? It has been weeks now that the government has been saying they need a dedicated website to publish oil production data. Why can’t the government publish the oil production data on the Ministry of Natural Resources website? It already publishes the oil…
Section 12 (1) (a) of the ExxonMobil production sharing agreement signed by then Minister Raphael Trotman on 27 June 2016 provides that ‘The Associated Gas produced from any Oil Field within the Contract Area shall be with priority used for the purposes related to the operations of production and production enhancement of Oil Fields, such as…
I have long considered Steve Coll’s book, “Private Empire ExxonMobil and American Power”, the bible on ExxonMobil. All government officials and ministers with responsibilities for the oil portfolio should take the time to do a serious study of this book. This book was published in 2012. Minister Trotman had renegotiated the Oil Contract in 2016…
By Alfred Bhulai, Janette Bulkan, Jocelyn Dow, Danuta Radzik, Vanda Radzik, Troy Thomas, Maya Trotz This “In The Diaspora” article describes how the Guyana Constitution with 2003 Amendments and the Environmental Protection Act of 1996 address the oil and gas sector, and provides recommendations for how, as Guyanese, we can use them to safeguard a…
Several observers have noted that the account in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York does not constitute the National Resource Fund (NRF). The account in the Federal Reserve is merely holding the oil revenues – at almost zero percent yield – until the Guyana government operationalises the NRF (hereafter “the Fund”). Operationalisation of the…
I would like to make some comments on the article by Dr. Thomas, “Guyana’s Oil and Gas Sector: More on the abuses of misinformation, deceptions, and fake news.” (SN July 11, 2021). Some clarifications are needed as Dr. Thomas seemed to have missed some important points. Firstly, the Guyana’s taxation system is not based on “average effective…
There are unanswered questions that relate to future taxpayers’ burdens arising from possible new government debt interest costs and Guyana’s payment of profit taxes on behalf of the contractors from its Production Sharing Agreement. Will the Gas to Energy be similarly treated? There are three major stakeholders in the Gas to Energy project: Contractor, Government…
