howoilunderdevelopedguyana

At a time of much noise in Guyana, that this page can serve as a respectful space for Guyanese to learn, to think, to give themselves voice. #firstoil

Over the years, the Government of Guyana has signed many contracts with various entities in the extractive industries. All of those contracts can be found here.

Petroleum Sharing Agreement with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd, CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Ltd, Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. Signed June 27th, 2016. Click here.

Petroleum Prospecting License with Esso Exploration and Production, Guyana Ltd. Signed June 14th, 1999. Click here

Petroleum Agreement Ratio Energy Limited, Ratio Guyana Limited, Kaieteur Block, PSA. Signed April 8th, 2015. Click here.

The links shared here are publicly available on the web. They do not represent any endorsement from the authors for this website. Similarly, their views do not necessarily reflect those of the site. As much as possible, the links shared are from persons who have not held any positions of power linked to oil decisions in Guyana, or who have not been paid by the oil companies or Government of Guyana for work in Guyana – to the best of our knowledge.

From Guyanese.

“While the country will inevitably benefit from the black gold found on these shores, our expectations must be tempered to match the realities of our unpreparedness for the sector, our divisive politics and the easy corruptibility of man. ” Akola Thompson in “Will 2020 see Guyana free from neocolonialism?” published December 27th, 2019 in the Minority Report, Stabroek News. Click here to read.

“Let’s talk about the contract. Who gets money, who gets paid, and who pays what, and who receives what.” Delano Raphael on “Guyana’s Oil Contract Explained,” published November 26th, 2019 on Raphael Nation. Click here to view.

Oil & The Environment ~ Globespan 24×7 Program with Moderator Dr. Yog Mahadeo & Guests: Ms. Annette Arjoon & Dr. Maya Trotz.

“Now, the new panacea is oil, which, in Guyanese aspirational dreams, will flow like manna from heaven to catapult the country into one of the richest in the world.   The country has been here before, so why would oil be any different? The current focus on resource endowment and abundance (of oil) takes our attention away from the real problem that plagues the country— the crisis of governance and a politics that relies on the mobilization of racial sentiment. ” Percy Hintzen in “Oil aspirations and the curse of neocolonial governance,” published January 20th, 2020 in In the Diaspora Column, Stabroek News. Click here to read.

“Guyana is drifting into acceptance of being a fossil fuel-producing country as something pre-ordained or inevitable over which we have little  or no responsibility precisely when fossil fuels are being exposed as the biggest threat to the future of mankind. Without positive action to prevent it, the anticipated transformation of Guyana will inevitable follow the growth-driven path of the global economy, creating an even more unequal society in which everyone is striving to better their individual place rather than as a community. This trajectory will be compounded with  the intensity of consumerism, testing the limits of an already impacted natural world.” Policy Forum Guyana. Click here to link.

In other CARICOM nations

“The “No Offshore Oil in Belize” campaign pooled multi-sectoral expertise (law, business, tourism, energy, environmentalists, economists, among others) and institutionalized itself under the Oceana-led Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage. The campaign articulated a single tripartite goal: to secure a ban on oil exploration in Belize’s offshore and protected areas; to strengthen the legislative framework for the equitable distribution of oil revenues; and to promote strong environmental safeguards for the oil industry.” Tyrone Hall in “Guyana’s oil boom: An opportunity for bold environmental activism,” published July 30th, 2018 in In the Diaspora Column, Stabroek News. Click here to read.

On the oil industry.

Top 10: University of South Florida & C-IMAGE Consortium Reveal Significant Takeaways from Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster Research. Click here to read.

Private Empire pulls back the curtain, tracking the corporation’s recent history and its central role on the world stage, beginning with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and leading to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The action spans the globe—featuring kidnapping cases, civil wars, and high-stakes struggles at the Kremlin—and the narrative is driven by larger-than-life characters, including corporate legend Lee “Iron Ass” Raymond, ExxonMobil’s chief executive until 2005, and current chairman and chief executive Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for Secretary of State. A penetrating, news-breaking study, Private Empire is a defining portrait of Big Oil in American politics and foreign policy. Link to book.

“Drawing on information exposed by intrepid journalists, prosecutors, and whistle blowers, Crude Intentions tells jaw-dropping stories of corruption and asks what we can learn from them. The cases reveal common tactics, but also vulnerabilities in this web of fraud. These are the starting points for building a smarter fight against corruption, in the oil sector and well beyond.” Link to book.