Opinion
I offer my services to help the government publish all oil production data
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…
Proposed gas-to-shore pipeline for 50 million standard cubic feet per day appears to be not viable
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…
You don’t have time to read this and they need it in Houston
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…
Gas to Energy Project: Let us practice our constitutional and democratic duty
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…
The Natural Resource Fund Act is not in operation
Every Man, Woman and Child Must Become Oil-Minded (Part 95) This Article was Published on the 30 July, 2021 Introduction Thirty months after its passage and assent by President Granger in January 2019, the only thing active about the Natural Resource Fund Act is that it continues to generate controversy. The Act was passed during…
Natural Resource Fund: the right rhetoric but no credible commitment to transparency
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…
Dr. Thomas’s ‘average effective tax rate’ is misleading
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…
Haze surrounds cost to taxpayers from gas project
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…
The Gas to Energy Project: More questions than answers?
Alfred Bhulai, Dr Janette Bulkan, Jocelyn Dow, D Radzik, Vanda Radzik, Dr Troy Thomas, Dr Maya Trotz The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Public Notice on June 25, 2021 stating that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was required for the “Gas to Energy Project” led by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL). EEPGL…