Opinion
There must be an independent EIA on the proposed waste management operations at Coverden
We write in solidarity with Cover-den and its community advocates, Penelope Howell and Audreyanna Thomas, who have exposed alleged breaches of the Environmental Protection Act (EP Act) and rule of law in the awarding of an environmental permit to Professional Waste Solutions Incorporated (PWSI) by the EPA to operate an on-shore oil and gas waste…
Bharrat’s disinformation on oil production rates is unprincipled and dangerous
I read without surprise, the August 10, 2024 KN clip “MP Vickram Bharrat provided misleading, deceptive information to Parliament on rate of oil production – David Patterson”. We all know that “misleading and deceptive” are parliamentary jargons for “lies”; but, in all fairness, let’s also charitably attribute some of the Honorable Minister’s mouthings to ignorance….
Sanctity of Contract vs Sovereignty over Natural Resources
Every Man, Woman and Child in Guyana Must Become Oil-Minded – Column 133 Introduction This column is an adaptation of a presentation I made at an OGGN sponsored activity in New York last July 27. OGGN is a US registered NGO with its membership drawn from the Guyanese Diaspora in North America, Europe and the…
Did Ashni Singh do everything possible to accommodate for a budget shortfall before asking the Guyanese people for more money?
Reference is made to news reports that the Government of Guyana is seeking Parliament’s approval for over US$192 million (40 billion GYD) in supplementary funds to shore up needed expenditure up to the end of 2024. Earlier this year, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service,…
Without ring-fencing, improved monitoring, and timely auditing; the Profit Squeeze will continue until the oil is exhausted
In a recent presentation by Mr. Glenn Lall, he asked the following question: What is the average cost of a barrel of oil? In reply, I will present some information on the cost of a barrel of oil, based on the combined 2023 Financial Statements of the consortium: EMGL, Hess and CNOOC. Additionally, a comparison…
Guyana only receives 1.5 percent of Total Revenues
Given that Guyana pays the taxes of the oil companies (EMGL, Hess, and CNOOC), and recognizing that Guyana should receive 14.5 percent of total revenue, the question which must be answered is the following: How much money will Guyana receive after the taxes have been deducted from Guyana’s share of total revenue? The answer to…
Dangerous tripling of time for capping stack to get to oil well must be explained
I am most elated by VP Jagdeo’s hullabaloo surrounding the arrival of the capping stack in Guyana, since it finally brings attention to the constant raising of my dreaded concern about the Government’s dangerous tripling of the stack’s deployment time to 9 days from the 3 days decided upon by the Coalition Government and Exxon,…
The return on CNOOC’s equity is astronomical
I write with reference to Chris Ram’s column. He is reporting CNOOC earned a profit of USD 1.7 billion (rounded) on its 25% ownership in the consortium drilling for oil in Guyana. I also note that CNOOC’s paid-up capital (equity) is a mere USD 200,000. These numbers were on CNOOC’s 2023 income statement. I have…