CARICOM’S Legislation to protect immigrants
GUSHING OIL
BASIN
ing a recent commercial failure at Bulletwood
1.
Exxon is the operator of that block
that also has investments from Total,
JHI Associates and Mid Atlantic Oil and
Gas. Success would make the Guyana-
Suriname Basin even more important
to global investors. Drilling in another
block-the Kaieteur- has not been as successful
as Stabroek with the Tanager-1
well producing non commercial assets.
If such activities are not enough CGX
Energy of Canada has also outlined plans
to drill wells in its Corentyne and Demerara
blocks near Suriname’s prolific area
this year, investing more than $90 million
on the campaign.
But even as Exxon steps up focus on
the basin, critics including former USbased
Guyanese Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) head, Vincent Adams
are livid with authorities from the current
and previous governments for not pushing
for better revenue and regulatory
agreements from Exxon.
Exxon had last year threatened to
downplay Guyana because officials were
allegedly dithering on approval for the
Payara field and had dropped major hints
Caribbean L 12 ife, MARCH 12-18, 2021
about switching its investments elsewhere.
Adams vehemently disagrees that
it could dare to walk away, given the
lopsided deal with Guyana, its relatively
high profit margins per barrel of oil and
the lightly refined sweet crude that it has
hardly found elsewhere.
“They cannot survive without Guyana.
From day one, I felt that the contract
should have been renegotiated. I am still
baffled as to why we are so apprehensive
to approach Exxon to revise that contract
since despite what may be the impression
out there, nothing in the agreement says
that ‘thou shall not renegotiate. As a matter
of fact, the contract specifically allows
for renegotiation except under the condition
of consent of both parties,” the daily
Kaieteur News reported this week.
Continued from Page 1
dedicated their lives to supporting the
local economy and have been an integral
part of the engine that keeps our
city moving,” Dr. Eugene continued.
“COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact
on their work and their ability to raise
a family, and it is not right to put
these individuals through removal proceedings
when the process creates an
unnecessary public health risk.
“I am honored to sponsor the following
pieces of legislation that I feel
are necessary to protect our immigrant
workers during the COVID-19 pandemic,”
he said.
Dr. Eugene said Resolution 1416 calls
on DHS to halt all deportation proceedings
for the length of the COVID-19
pandemic “as a means of restricting the
global spread of this disease.”
Resolution 1417 also calls on DHS to
place a moratorium on all removal proceedings
for employment-based status
holders who suffered a loss of employment
during or due to the COVID-19
pandemic, Eugene said.
He said Resolution 1418 calls on the
United States Congress to pass, and the
President to sign, legislation that would
permit employment-based status holders
to retain lawful status, after loss of
employment, if such loss was related to
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we have made significant
progress towards widespread vaccination
against COVID-19, we must remain
keenly aware of its ability to mutate
and spread rapidly, and it is important
that we continue to protect our most
vulnerable communities from infection
and illness,” Dr. Eugene said. “That
is why this legislation is necessary to
help members of the immigrant community
who have lost employment due
to COVID-19 and would be placed in
unsafe conditions through deportation.
“If we are going to defeat this horrible
virus, we must implement more
precautionary measures on all fronts,
and that includes putting a halt to
deportations for employment-based status
holders during the pandemic until
such time as it is safe for them to be
returned to their country of origin,” he
added. “These individuals are here with
their families, and they represent the
fabric of our country and are a vital part
of the local economy.
“They should not be put in unsafe
living conditions because they have lost
work during a public health crisis,” the
councilman continued. “Instead, we
should allocate more resources to help
these workers maintain their livelihood
while in the United States.
“I believe it is our moral obligation
to do so, and this legislation will better
prepare this country for future public
health emergencies that affect the
immigrant community,” he said.
Continued from Page 1
Liam Mallon, president of Upstream
Oil and Gas at Exxon. corporate.
exxonmobil.com
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