Environment ambassador Keod Smith urged BEC to appoint a commission to investigate alternative energy sources to eliminate environmental concerns and avoid oil spillage in the area.
Mr Smith was speaking in the House of Assembly on a resolution to authorise the government to enter into a guarantee agreement with local banks, instead of the Inter-American Development Bank, for a sum of $128 million.
Both government and opposition members have pledged their support for the resolution so far, but will continue debate in the House today.
Mr Smith said parliamentarians were supposed to always do their best to protect the environment. He cited BEC as the culprit in the Clifton Cay situation.
Referring to rates of fuel for BEC, he said: “We must keep in mind that we can use solar energy, we can use wind and we can use forms of hydro-electrical generating plants and systems.”
Mr Smith said it was important for BEC to take an aggressive and proactive approach to finding a new way of electrifying the Bahamas.
He said fossil fuels, while they are a natural substance, gave off emissions which were harmful to the atmosphere and ozone layer. “We have to move away from it,” he said. “The Bahamas is small enough to change this. So I want to encourage BEC to look very seriously at any of these three forms of alternative electricity.”
Mr Smith said the oil spills have over the years severely damaged the reef system and “certainly is impacting on our touristic product where people come to the Bahamas for the purposes of diving off of the south-western coast of this island.”
Mr Smith said movies were contantly being shot on the south-western coast of New Providence and some movie companies were looking at doing work right now in that area.
“One of the things that we’re going to have to contend with is the fact that every so often some of that crude oil floats out to sea,” said Mr Smith.
“Then sometimes it appears as if it is processed gasoline which floats miles out to sea. Some of the companies responsible for bringing oil and gas into this country need to ensure that whatever they are responsible for, they have to come up to the plate.”
He added: “We cannot allow this kind of activity and action to persist without a very heavy hand to rectify it.”
Mr Smith believed the Bahamas had a responsibility to the rest of the world to keep reefs and marine life pristine “because it is not as good in any other part of this region as we have here.”
He said: “It is important that we do not treat our responsibility to our neighbours and the rest of the world lightly.”
Mr Smith noted that BEC has been making a lot of money from the Bahamian people as a corporation. “We have to put it back where it truly matters. I would like to be able to come back in some other form, maybe as a fish 300 years from now.”
This drew raucous laughter and the Deputy Speaker had to call for order.
“I don’t want to swim in any waters other than the beautiful environs which I have seen. If I come back, I want to know that what I left here in this lifetime is what I’m going to find 300 years from now or a thousand years from now.
“I believe that this resolution which has been put to the floor is a great resolution. I just want to be sure that our marine life and marine environment is protected.”
Mr Smith commended Public Works Minister Bradley Roberts on the resolution and applauded the BEC’s board of directors for their visionary initiative in consolidating the loan with local banks, instead of a multiple loans with multiple foreign currencies.
Other speakers making contributions to the debate included:
. Opposition Leader, Alvin Smith, who talked about the electricity problems plaguing his constituency such as the absence of street lighting. He also called on BEC to consider reducing rates of electricity for senior citizens. Mr Roberts gave a positive indication that he would do so.
. Alfred Gray, MP for MICAL, said politics should not come into play when the needs of Bahamians were being dealt with because electricity was just as important as clothes and should not be viewed as a luxury but a necessity.
. Blue Hills MP Leslie Miller spoke on the high cost of providing fuel to Bahamians and said government was vigorously addressing these concerns by attempting to cut out a lot of the “middle-men” in the industry, and hopefully reducing electricity costs to consumers. He also spoke of putting in place a National Oil Corporation to safeguard the Bahamian public from the “vicious cycle” of exorbitant fuel prices.
. Kenneth Russell, MP for High Rock, said when the FNM government became the government, they found no plans for many areas of the Bahamas, including Pelican Point in eastern Grand Bahama or McClean’s Town.
By Darnell Dorsett, The Tribune