The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller is satisfied with the tests and cleanup efforts that took place in response to the oil spill at the Equinor South Riding Point terminal.

He indicated that reforestation efforts at the East Grand Bahama site are expected to be undertaken through a partnership between Equinor and the University of The Bahamas.

“We are encouraging that,” Mr Miller said. “I wish we could expedite it, but we are encouraging it and we are active participants in it. So, we are looking forward to that.”

While in Grand Bahama this week, the minister paid a courtesy call on several industrial companies.

On Wednesday, his first stop was at Equinor South Riding Point, where he met with officials and the potential new owners.

While there, he was given an update on the progress of the spill cleanup, environmental tests and monitoring for groundwater contamination, and restoration efforts of the forest that was affected during Hurricane Dorian, in September 2019.

The minister said he was pleased with the update presented by Equinor officials.

“When I first came to visit Equinor, I really came to raise hell because I was hearing so many negative things,” he said. “But the facts speak and because of our involvement, the independent tests, the test we ran, and the test that the company ran, when we compiled all the results, it was results driven.

“So, I had to back up and contain myself because we are about protecting the interests of Bahamians. And I am of the view that Bahamians have been taken advantage of for too long and anything I can do to curtail that, to stand against it and make it known, I intend to do.”

When asked about the results, the minister declined to release any details, but said they would be soon released to the public.

“You will get the results in short order, but based on the results I am sufficiently satisfied,” he told reporters after his meeting with Equinor officials.

“I don’t have a date, but obviously - those results have to be reviewed and then we will place them in the public domain.”

The minister admitted to having concerns and fears of oil contamination during an initial visit he had made to the spill site after the storm.

“I can say with my unscientific eyes I was very concerned when I came here earlier before I was Minister for the Environment,” he said. “That was several weeks after Dorian, and I was extremely concerned.

“When you deal with oil facilities, the risk of cancer is higher than in other areas from a commercial perspective. But based on the results that I am privy to, I am satisfied that they are in compliance,” said the minister.

After the spill, Equinor drilled some 27 wells for ground water monitoring and testing for oil contamination.

The government also conducted testing and monitoring of those wells. The minister was also pleased with the results.

“As you know the government is continuous and the work that was started under the previous administration, the DEHS (Department of Environmental Health Services), I sat with them and was impressed with where we were and the direction in which we were headed. We continued testing all along and based on those results, I am satisfied,” he said.

The minister noted that Equinor’s ownership is in transition.

“We sat briefly with the potential owners to really have an official conversation with them and to really make certain we are on the same page; that they understand us, our policies, and to make certain we get off to a good start,” he explained.

“We want a great working relationship because ultimately, we want the people of GB to be the primary beneficiaries in this, and to make certain they know the government is for the people - and we want the best for our people.”

In terms of ongoing cleanup, Mr Miller said there will be further discussions about that with Equinor.

Equinor’s South Riding Point storage and transshipment terminal has a storage capacity of 6.75m barrels of crude and condensate. At the time the hurricane hit, 1.8m barrels were stored in three tanks. Fifty-five thousand barrels of crude oil were spilled.

Environmentalists at Save the Bays and Kwasi Thompson, MP for East Grand Bahama, raised concerns about a sale and whether the government would ensure that funds would be left in place to ensure any leftover clean-up from Dorian.

When asked about reparations in terms of the spill, Minister Miller said: “I am a ‘reparationist,’ and mine go way beyond the spill, particularly the history of our African ancestors. My fight for reparation goes back to then and that includes now.”

Mr Miller also indicated that he was concerned about reports regarding other industrial operations on Grand Bahama.

“I am the minister for Environmental and Natural Resources. With regards to limestone and other aggregates that are being mined here in GB, we come to sit with the businesses and companies involved in these areas and pay them a courtesy call and begin some meaningful conversations and dialogue with them.

“I am concerned in terms of what I have been hearing, and so we want to sit with them to really find out exactly what is going on. My concern is for the people of GB. I think, personally, that they have not gotten their fair share, and we come to have some honest and frank conversations - and make some decisions according to that,” he said.

On Thursday, the Minister made courtesy calls on officials at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Bahama Rock, also known as Martin Marietta, and Buckeye Bahamas Hub.

Today, he will visit West End.