Offshore Drilling - Green Light

[Zelda]

Offshore drilling still has “green light”: Prime Minister Barrow

Posted: 27/07/2010 - 09:52 AM - Author: Adele Ramos - adelescribe@gmail.com

Last week, the Opposition People’s United Party joined the call made by the Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage for the government to put into effect a ban on offshore petroleum exploration, “…until Belizeans can be assured that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure that there will be no damage to our marine environment as a result of such drilling.” The position, said the party, was formulated after consulting with 31 constituencies across the country.

Responding to the PUP declaration, Barrow said that all but one of the contracts were given out when the Opposition PUP was in power, and they have also allowed offshore petroleum exploration. (As we have previously informed, Island Oil was allowed to drill an exploration well off Monkey River back in 2007. A total of 16 wells have been drilled offshore Belize since 1958, according to the Department of Geology and Petroleum.)

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