The battle comes now that Ambassador for the Environment Keod Smith has recommended that the government not approve any of the projects at this time.
Trade and Industry Minister Leslie Miller told the Journal recently it appears that there is an overlap in authority regarding who is responsible for the country’s health and environmental sectors.
“Keod Smith is not the Minister responsible here,” Minister Miller said. “There is already a Minister in place. Not only that, but he has totally aligned himself with Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) like local environmentalists who have their own self interest to protect.”
Sam Duncombe, spokesperson for the environmental organization, ReEarth, attended a press conference Mr. Smith called last week to make his announcement. But he told the Bahama Journal that he did not invite Mrs. Duncombe to attend the press conference and she only happened to be at the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology office at the time.
During the press conference, Mr. Smith, BEST chairman, urged the government to move “very slowly” before making a decision regarding the projects. He said that as the necessary legislation and policy framework are not in place, it would be premature for the government to approve any of the proposals.
According to Mr. Smith, there is no existing gazetted Environmental Policy or legislative regime that adequately addresses environmental protection and conservation, let alone how The Bahamas proposes to govern LNG regasification plants.
But Minister Miller said sufficient protection would be in place to guard against environmental harms.
“As far as I’m concerned, the two agreements – the proposed Heads of Agreement that states what the company will do, what the government is proposing to do and the financial aspects derived from this project and the Environmental Management Agreement that is supposed to be signed between the BEST Commission and the approved company – inherently protect the country’s environment as far as I know,” he said.
“Now, if need be, the Environmental Acts which are presently in place, would be extended,” he said. “But this has nothing to do with the safety of incorporating an LNG terminal to be built in The Bahamas.”
Three companies are seeking the government’s approval to construct separate LNG projects in The Bahamas to serve Florida’s increasing energy needs. Among them are Belgian energy firm, Tractebel, Houston-based El Paso Corporation and AES Corporation, whose environment impact study is available for viewing at the BEST Commission in the Nassau Court.
Virginia-based AES wants to construct a 94-mile LNG pipeline linking Ocean Cay, just south of Bimini to Dania Beach, Florida, a $700 million project it hopes to complete within 36 months, pending the go-ahead from the Bahamian government.
But according to Mr. Smith, despite the millions of dollars the companies are willing to pump into The Bahamas, there is no guarantee that the environment would be protected during the projects.
Mr. Smith said that 20 days insufficient time for the public to review the EIA. He believes that 90 days should be made available.
But Minister Miller said, “I am convinced that [even] if we allow this process to go a year, the consensus of those in The Bahamas who are against the plant – and any other progressive type of situation where the average Bahamian is going to benefit – would be the same. You invite them to go and they refuse to. These are people who are simply opposed to anything that is progressive for The Bahamas.”
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed AES project, which company officials say cost them $4 million, claims that laying a liquefied natural gas pipeline from The Bahamas to Florida presents the greatest potential for impact to marine resources, as it will cause temporary disturbance to the ocean floor.
However, the EIA also noted that the multimillion-dollar project is not expected to impact critical habitats of any endangered or at risk species.
The report also indicated that upon completing its dredging operations, long-term operational impact to underwater communities would be minimal. But it added that the dredging would result in the loss of the flora and fauna located within the dredge area.
Minister Miller told the Journal that, “The BEST Commission along with international experts that were hired to assess the LNG project have issued their findings [regarding these plants]…We have also gotten expert advice from the government in Trinidad and Tobago, who has had much experience in dealing with LNG plants.”
He also reiterated that he is guided by what is in the best interest of the majority of Bahamians, saying that there is nothing wrong with the proposal to construct an LNG plant in The Bahamas.
“I have visited LNG plants in the United States, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere and have been told by the experts that its facilities are among the safest in the world, in fact much safer that the regular electrical plants,” he said.
“They have never had an accident on the high seas with any of their ships whether due to leakage or explosion, so I see no problem. If someone can show be differently, then that’s fine.”
But Mr. Smith, who has also visited those LNG plants, remained concerned about what he sees at the potential adverse environmental impact those projects could cause in The Bahamas.
By Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
