On Friday news broke about Paradise Energy and the concession it has gotten for oil exploration in the Maya Mountain Massif - a vast bloc which includes 14 protected areas covering (1,274,443.00) one million, two hundred and seventy four thousand, four hundred and forty three acres.
The area is thought to have very low potential for petroleum but the threat to buffer and core conservation areas is significant. OCEANA has already sent out a release condemning the issuance of the oil lease and Friends For Conservation and Development who co-manage the Chiquibul Forest which falls within the exploration block is having an emergency meeting this week to put together its position and likely express its extreme concern.
The PUP has also weighed in on the issue saying that, quote: "This decision by the Barrow Administration to grant a petroleum exploration license in secret to the Prime Minister's nephew is grossly hypocritical, cynical and was done without the legally required competitive bidding process."
The PUP makes a call on the Prime Minister to immediately revoke this license.
As we reported, the Prime Minister's nephew Kimano Barrow is a 50% shareholder in Paradise Energy.
