Guyana participating in Global Workshop on Oil Spill Response Planning

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 August 2016, 11:16 by Denis Chabrol

A five member team will head to New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States to represent Guyana at the first Global Workshop on Oil Spill Response Planning to be held from August 18-19, 2016, the Ministry of Natural Resources said Thursday.

The team comprises persons from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).

The workshop builds on conversations from the October 2015 International Regulators Forum in Washington, D.C., is being hosted by the Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative (EGCI). The EGCI is a U.S. Department of Sate-led inter-agency effort that provides a range of technical and capacity building assistance to the governments of select countries to help them establish the capacity to manage their oil and gas sector resources responsibly.

As a recipient of the initiative, the Ministry of Natural Resources says Guyana will participate in the global workshop which allows it the opportunity to tap into the U.S. Government’s considerable expertise and capabilities in oil spill response planning in order to provide assistance that is tailored to the specific needs of Guyana.

While in New Orleans, government says the team will have the opportunity to discuss commonalities and differences in disaster preparedness, oil spill response planning and environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting, especially as it affects offshore production operations and spillage among the United States and the participating EGCI countries.

Participants will also be able to network and explore opportunities for long-term working relationships with sector experts. “The workshop is both valuable and timely and will help Guyana to gain expertise as it advances its efforts to develop a robust framework for its emerging oil and gas sector,” the Ministry of Natural Resources said.