BPC refutes claims it was underfunded at point of drilling James Smith.
Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) Director James Smith yesterday refuted claims by environmental activists that the company did not have enough funding to complete the Perseverance #1 well at the point of rig mobilization last month.
Following BPC’s announcement that it intended to exercise a $5 million put option to complete its funding strategy, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) Executive Director Casuarina McKinney-Lambert asserted that the oil company did not have sufficient funding when it began exploratory drilling last month and questioned whether the company has enough resources “to address any unforeseen incidents”.
US business groups rail against Bahamas oil drilling
Concern that oil spill in The Bahamas would ‘absolutely devastate Miami’s coastal economy’ Stena Drilling’s Stena IceMAX drillship.
Our Islands, Our Future (OIOF), which through the local courts is challenging the legitimacy of Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) right to drill its exploratory well, now has the voices of the business community of South Florida and the US Eastern Seaboard added to the cacophony of calls for oil drilling in The Bahamas to be stopped.
A press statement issued by OIOF yesterday said comments from various business leaders were received after Miami-based marketing company Ballyhoo Media – which has partnered with the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF), Oceana and OIOF – ran floating billboards on Miami Beach calling for support of a petition to get Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis to immediately stop oil drilling in The Bahamas.
krussell@tribunemedia.net
ACTIVISTS are holding out hope that oil drilling can be halted as the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments today over a renewed application for judicial review regarding the government’s recent decisions to give Bahamas Petroleum Company environmental authorisation for its exploratory oil well.
Drilling of this well has continued unimpeded for the past week.
Activists told The Tribune yesterday they continue to remain hopeful that BPC’s drilling can be stopped, despite an attorney for the company, Clare Montgomery, QC, just several days ago telling the Supreme Court this was virtually impossible to do.
Gov t official says no new drill ship approval needed Brands case misconceived and backs consultation
By NEIL HARTNELL
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
Oil exploration opponents are arguing Bahamas Petroleum Company s (BPC) assertion that a mid-drilling halt will cause unnecessary safety risks is contradicted by its own environmental studies.
Environmental activists have seized on the emergency response section of BPC s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which says drilling can be halted within one to three days should a hurricane threaten, to challenge the company s assertion that a Supreme Court-ordered halt to exploratory drilling would be impossible to implement. While BPC intends to drill outside of hurricane season to avoid potential disruption from hurricanes, the ERP (emergency response plan) will contain hurricane preparedness and response, the relevant section of the EIA stated.
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