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Vol. 30, Issue 51 QUEENS/LONG ISLAND/BRONX/MANHATTAN DECEMBER 18-24, 2020
PETRO
DRILLING
PROTEST
The Bahamas PM leads fight
against oil drilling
By Bert Wilkinson
Encouraged by Guyana’s
massive oil shout in the past
five years, Caribbean Community
countries from Grenada
to Barbados to Jamaica, among
others, have all stepped up
plans for oil and gas exploration
but if environmentalists
and The Bahamas’s cabinet
have their way, a campaign
to commence offshore drilling
will be scrubbed immediately.
Prime Minister Hubert
Innis, already under pressure
to keep the tourism dependent
economy afloat amidst the
coronavirus pandemic lock
down, is leading a rising tide
of local groups, high officials
and environmentalists who
have been railing against plans
by The Bahamian Petroleum
Corporation to begin a drilling
campaign in waters between
Florida and The Bahamas in
the coming weeks. They are
doing so albeit unsuccessfully
since it has become clear in
recent days that the drillship
will begin work in the coming
days regardless.
The Stenna IceMax drillship
arrived in local waters
this week and is preparing to
drill the corporation’s first well
as fears that an accidental oil
spill could wreck the marine
aspects of its tourism industry,
crippling scuba diving, sailing,
snorkeling and sports fishing
among other money makers
grow.
The arrival of the ship and
stepped up preparations for
drilling are taking place despite
a plea by an influential group of
bipartisan American lawmakers
who had pleaded with the
Trump Administration earlier
this year to take steps to stop
the drilling, about 150 miles
off Florida’s south coast. Joining
them are a slew of local
environmental groups and cabinet
ministers led by PM Minnis.
They are absolutely against
any oil and gas exploration in
Bahamian waters, period.
“I am totally against” any
drilling, Minnis told reporters
in the past week. Unfortunately,
we were saddled with an agreement
that we met there. When
we discussed it with the legal
department, we were advised
that the commitment and eve-
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers remarks on the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) at the Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., Nov. 15, 2020.
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly, fi le
Cuomo signs law limiting arrest of
immigrants in state court houses
By Nelson A. King
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on
Tuesday signed into law a
measure that limits the circumstances
in which officers
from the US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE)
agency can arrest Caribbean
and other nationals on immigration
violations at state
courthouses.
Cuomo said the Protect Our
Courts Act (S00425A/A2176A)
ensures that Caribbean and
other immigrants can freely
access the justice system
without fear of being targeted
by US federal immigration
authorities.
The legislation addresses
longstanding concerns that
federal immigration enforcement
was deterring immigrants
from appearing in New
York State courts and impeding
the fair administration of
justice.
It builds upon a prior executive
order by the governor and
a directive by the chief judge
of the New York State Unified
Court System.
“Unlike this federal government,
New York has always
protected our immigrant com-
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