Census Guyana hits oil milestone
age individuals from being counted
in the Census due to fear fueled by the
federal government. A complete count
will be a testament to our diversity, resiliency
and strength as a state to ensure
a bright future for all.”
Cuomo noted that he has already
taken several actions to support a complete
census count in New York this
year.
In January, the governor proposed
an additional $10 million in the FY
2021 budget, bringing the State’s total
committed resources up to $70 million,
“to ensure a fair and complete count of
every New Yorker in the census.”
The governor also established the
Census Council, which is co-chaired
by Martin Luther King III, Lucy Liu
and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Nassau County Executive Laura
Curran said, “With federal and state
funding hanging in the balance, ensuring
a fair and accurate count is vital to
Nassau County’s local economy,” said
County Executive Curran.
“The 2020 Census will determine
funding levels for key programs and
resources that help bolster healthy,
sustainable communities in every corner
of the County,” she said. “I thank
Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Hochul for
marshaling the appropriate state resources
to ensure every person is
counted and that Long Island receives
Caribbean Life, F 22 ebruary 21-27, 2020
our fair share of funding and representation.”
Cuomo’s offi ce said that dozens
of State agencies and authorities, as
well as State University of New York
(SUNY) and City University of New
York (CUNY), are deploying resources
and using their ongoing contact with
the public to get residents to fi ll out the
Census.
These State entities include the Departments
of Labor, Motor Vehicles,
Agriculture and Markets; the offi ces of
Mental Health, Alcohol and Substance
Abuse, and People with Developmental
Disabilities; Empire State Development;
and the Division of Veterans Affairs,
which are conducting outreach
and providing Census-related information
across their millions of contacts
with the public.
Continued from Page 22
efforts by other Caribbean neighbors
The Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados
and Jamaica- to hand out
exploratory permits. Of these, authorities
in Jamaica and Grenada
say that early seismic work has already
shown definite signs of the
presence of hydrocarbons offshore.
The Bahamas is planning to sink
an exploratory well by April, confident
that luck could be on its side
being so near the Gulf of Mexico
where oil and gas are bountiful.
“This is a significant moment
in Guyana’s history. Guyana is entitled
to approximately five million
barrels of oil in 2020 alone,
plus the two per cent royalty, plus
withholding taxes, plus the direct
and indirect benefits through employment
creation and other revenue
generated income. So, this is
not a contract that we should take
lightly, it is not an occasion that we
should take lightly,” said Energy
Department Director Mark Bynoe.
Revenues for 2020 directly from oil
could reach about $300 million. Officials
say this would climb to about
$5 billion by 2025 when production
would be closer to a million barrels
per day.
“These one million barrels are
part of our profit oil allocation. It
does not include the two per cent
royalty, which would be paid on
gross productions. So, even though
we are having a million barrels lift
in this particular instance, we are
also receiving two per cent on all
oil that is being produced. This gets
us away from the perception that
all Guyana is getting under the
contract is two per cent royalty,”
Bynoe contended.
Bynoe, top energy officials and
some of the leadership from Exxon
flew to the Floating Production
Storage and Offloading (FPSO)
vessel to witness the lifting of the
sweet, light crude to the transfer
ship, watched by officials from the
state’s tax office and the standards
bureau.
All this is happening as opposition
parties and rights groups head
stinging criticisms on government
for negotiating what they regard as
a weak deal with the consortium,
especially as it relates to the two
percent royalty tax that they think
should be much higher. The issue
has become a key agenda item of
campaigning ahead of general elections
on March 2. Exxon had, incidentally
or ironically, announced
its original oil find just days before
the May 2015 elections. Major
new offshore activity is again at
the forefront as Guyanese go to the
polls.
Continued from Page 1
The federal government will conduct
its decennial census later this
year. Associated Press / Michelle R. Smith
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