Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) revealed in a statement on its website yesterday that while it understands through “media speculation” that a judicial review application has been filed in the Supreme Court of The Bahamas to halt its drilling operations, it has not been served with a summons from the court.
The company stated it is also not aware that the government has been served a summons. Minister of the Environment and Housing Romauld Ferreira; Director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection Rochelle Newbold; and the attorney general are all named as respondents in the judicial review application.
“BPC, the Caribbean and Atlantic margin-focused oil and gas company, with exploration, production, appraisal and development assets across the region, notes media speculation in The Bahamas to the effect that a number of environmental activists have filed an application in the Supreme Court of The Bahamas for leave to bring a judicial review proceeding against the government of The Bahamas, in relation to the government’s decision to approve the drilling of the Perseverance #1 well,” BPC’s statement noted.
“Apart from this media speculation, BPC presently has no further knowledge in relation to this matter. BPC has not been served and is not aware that the government of The Bahamas has been served. BPC will continue to monitor the situation closely and will make a further announcement as and when it becomes aware of any material developments.”
Environmental groups Waterkeeper Bahamas Ltd. and Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay filed legal action they hope will stop BPC from drilling its Perseverance #1 exploration well this month.
The groups contend that the decisions to approve the authorization of drilling were procedurally unfair, irrational, an abuse of power and therefore unlawful.
According to the judicial review, the groups seek to challenge the environment minister’s decision in February 2020 to grant BPC environmental authorization; the decision in November 2020 to approve changes to the project; a decision in November 2020 to issue a new environmental authorization; the decision by the director of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection in February 2020 to approve BPC’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental management plan (EMP); the director’s November 2020 decision to approve the amended and resubmitted EIA; and the decision in November 2020 to approve the changes to the project without an amended EIA and EMP.
The groups also seek to challenge the decisions by the governor general in April 2020 to renew or extend the validity of the licenses of BPC/BOP (Bahamas Offshore Petroleum Limited) to December 2020; the decision in August 2020 to renew or extend the validity of the licenses to April 2021 and the November 2020 decision to renew or re-extend the validity of BPC’s licenses to June 2021.
The post BPC: We have not been served with summons seeking to halt drilling appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/bpc-we-have-not-been-served-with-summons-seeking-to-halt-drilling/
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