And while rice and flour are no longer scarce - at least for the time being - what has run out is the Department of the Environment’s patience with Belize Natural Energy. It may be Belize’s most profitable company – but according to the DOE – it’s also one of the most consistently non-compliant and now the department has brought down the hammer. On Monday, a stop order was issued against BNE – which was trying to build a oil transfer system across the Sittee River at Kendall.
That was a priority because when the Kendall Bridge went down so did the gateway to the Big Creek Port to which BNE transports hundreds of barrels of crude oil daily. And with world crude prices oil hitting another record of $140 a barrel earlier this week, you can understand why BNE might have been in a hurry to get the export process going again. So, BNE put up two tanks on the northern banks of the river, which was to be pumped across the river for transport to BNE’s storage facility at Big Creek.
Department of Environment staff discovered the works in progress by chance on Sunday. BNE had not lodged any request or proposal with the department. One is required for all the official reasons, and also because – by the DOE’s reasoning – putting an oil reservoir and pumping oil across a major waterway has inherent risks – which require careful study before it is done.
And so yesterday afternoon, a stop order was issued to Belize Natural Energy and Dr. Gilbert Canton to, “immediately cease all activities associated with the installation of fuel storage tanks near the Kendall Bridge.” When work didn’t stop immediately, environment officers took Dangriga Police out to the site on Tuesday and enforced the stoppage. Seems straightforward enough, but when dealing with such an important and wealthy company there are
usually other considerations.
Today acting Chief Environment Officer Martin Allegria told us why his department felt compelled to act.
Martin Allegria, Chief Environment Officer
“We don’t know about it, we haven’t given clearance yet and tanks are going up. Hence after consultations and dialogue, we decided to issue a stop order which is preventative rather than going through the courts at this stage. We try to work it out but as a cessation order is to stop activities while we address the issue and that was done Monday afternoon. Tuesday we were out on the site, I sent my officers to check on the proposal. Lo and hold the activities were still on going, even after we had issued a stop order. So we went for police from Dangriga and we enforced the stop order.
We are at the stage now where they have come in, BNE with their proposal, and they are going through it, fast track it as you say, because we understand the need and the urgency of what I mention, the economics and the environment. And hence we are at that stage right now of giving this proposal a fast track with proper assessment. But preliminary observations, if you go to the site, you will notice that just from the start, the proposal that they have already began executing is not in conformity with minimum standards, local and international standards of safety and environmental protection.
These tanks, when we went there Tuesday, they were being established or erected about 30 feet, 40 feet maximum from the edge of the river which is already eroded from the effects last week. So right off the bat we have seen some concerns. We are reviewing that proposal.”
Keith Swift,
You’re saying BNE acted arrogantly by going ahead and doing this without permission?
Martin Allegria,
“I don’t know if arrogantly is the word but yes they have acted in haste, understandably so because of the price of oil at this time but like I said, my responsibility as the Department of Environment to take into consideration environmental protection.”
We contacted Belize Natural Energy for comment but no one called us back. The Prime Minister today told us he didn’t know of the stop order, but supported the DOE in its decision.
