The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

RUBIS (Bahamas) yesterday said it was in discussions with the Government over that latter’s recommendation that bi-annual health assessments be conducted on all impacted residents living near its Robinson Road gas station.

The Ministry of the Environment, in an August 22, 2014, letter to the petroleum company’s senior Bahamian management, called on it to undertake such assessments and other activities to mitigate the health and environmental consequences of the leakage at its gas station.

Gordon Craig, RUBIS Bahamas managing director, said the company has been in continual discussions with the Government since first learning of the gasoline leak.

“In respect to that letter, there are many issues and requirements that happened at various times. We have been in communication with the Government on testing and other issues,” said Mr Craig.

“Our primary concern is on remediation of the spill and that is where we are doing it. We have ARCADIS who will work until the end. We are communicating all the reports, doing the reports and we will continue until the job is done.”

Jorge Rameriz, principal engineer and vice-president of ARCADIS, which was hired by RUBIS to carry out remediation work, said the leak has been contained and is not expanding.

He added that the report by Government consultants, Black & Veatch, was based on tests carried out by ARCADIS and others, and not based on any samples taken by the firm itself.

Mr Rameriz said ARCADIS was in the final stages of its remediation efforts.

According to the BEST Commission, the fuel release was observed in late December 2012 by station operator Fiorente Management, and reported to Rubis on January 19, 2013.

It was previously reported that the leak was around 30,000 gallons. However, BEST director, Philip Weech, said that variance records suggested the release was just 12,000 gallons.

Black and Veatch was contracted by the Government in 2013 to ensure that the actions taken by Rubis Bahamas to address the release were appropriate to protect public health and remediate the environment.

Its report was completed on February 20, 2014, and only recently released.The report confirmed that elevated levels of benzene, a cancer-causing compound in gasoline, was found in a residential well in May 2013, but ultimately concluded that assessments conducted by Rubis were insufficient and could not be used to determine whether residential and commercial building occupants were exposed to contamination associated with the fuel release.

The cancer-causing compound was also found in air samples taken by Cable Bahamas’ contractor in early 2013, according to the report.

In a recent statement, the Government expressed “sincere regret” for delaying the release of the Black and Veatch report for more than a year.

According to the Government’s statement, “an initial analysis of the report’s release reveals that poor co-ordination and administration led to the delay”.