ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller says he is satisfied with the clean-up of the oil spill at Equinor South Riding Point and in the surrounding communities in East Grand Bahama, but added that the clean-up efforts continue.
“As far as I’m concerned and the conversations that I’ve had with them, the clean-up efforts are ongoing, particularly the reforestation aspect of it,” said Mr Miller according to an article from Bahamas Information Services.
He added that out of concern for Grand Bahama, he visited “to have some honest and frank conversations”.
His comments came following a courtesy call with the executives of Equinor on Wednesday in East Grand Bahama. He, along with members of his ministry, were in Grand Bahama for a series of meetings with companies and businesses that deal in natural resources.
“As Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, with regards to our limestone and other aggregates that are mined here in Grand Bahama, we’ve come to sit with the businesses and companies involved in these areas, to pay them a courtesy call, to begin some meaningful conversations and dialogue with them,” said Mr Miller.
“We happened to come to Equinor first. The company is in ownership transition, so we’re basically waiting so that we can sit and have an official conversation with the new owners. We’ve had an initial meeting - but we would like to sit for a longer period to really make certain that we’re all on the same page: that they understand us and our policies. We want to make sure that we get off to a great start because we would like to have a great working relationship with the new owners.”
Asked if he was satisfied with the clean-up by Equinor following the major oil spill that took place on the property and into the surrounding communities during Hurricane Dorian, Mr Miller said that he’s satisfied with the results that have come in.
Ultimately, he said that the government’s concern is for the people of Grand Bahama and as such he wanted to sit with Equinor to clarify even some questions he’s had.
“We’re about protecting the interest of Bahamians,” said Mr Miller.
He said since taking over the ministry, he was able to sit with Equinor and was informed of where the company was in terms of the clean-up process, and in what direction they were headed. He noted that for him, that was important.
During his three-day visit, Mr Miller called on Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey at the Ministry for Grand Bahama; held meetings with executives at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, executives at Buckeye Bahamas Hub, and executives at Bahama Rock.
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