“If the government’s hands were tied before, they certainly are not now”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Our Islands, Our Future coalition yesterday renewed its call for a permanent nationwide ban on oil drilling in The Bahamas.
In a letter allegedly delivered to Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, the group called for full transparency and accounting on Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BCP), now Challenger Energy Group (CEG), Perseverance #1 oil drilling debacle.
The coalition reiterated its previous requests for a full accounting of oil drilling licenses and fees, including unpaid amounts, as well as drilling reports and compliance data for the failed oil well drilled in early 2021 in Bahamian waters southwest of Andros.
It also emphasized its previous, and as-yet-unfulfilled, calls for the release of documents and full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
According to the group, Perseverance #1 put the entire country at risk and failed to generate any commensurate source of income for The Bahamas.
Chris Wilke of Waterkeeper Alliance said: “If fully exploited in quantities claimed by CEG, it would have exceeded the entire carbon footprint of The Bahamas and 18 other small Caribbean island nations over a period of 20 years.
“Rather than feeding the climate crisis and flirting with planetary destruction, The Bahamas now has the opportunity to reject fossil fuel extraction and build a green economy.”
This foolish project has put our entire nation at risk.
– BREEF Executive Director Casuarina McKinney-Lambert
Casuarina McKinney-Lambert of the Bahamas Reef Environmental Educational Foundation (BREEF) said: “This foolish project has put our entire nation at risk.
“There is little evidence that there was adequate insurance or oil spill response preparedness. Instead, all we got were empty assurances with no details.”
Rashema Ingraham of Waterkeepers Bahamas said: “It’s time to close this chapter once and for all, and declare a countrywide ban on oil drilling. If the government’s hands were tied before, they certainly are not now.”
The coalition also referenced the growing importance of climate action amid increasingly dire scientific projections, particularly in vulnerable nations such as The Bahamas, which are threatened by sea-level rise, hurricanes and damage to coral health.
The coalition again implored the government to institute a lasting ban “instead of simultaneously filling the dual roles of climate victims and of a fossil fuel colony for investors”, stating The Bahamas has an opportunity to show real leadership.
McKinney-Lambert said: “We are a country of leaders and we can continue to develop a sustainable blue economy to support Bahamian entrepreneurs that is based on a healthy environment that doesn’t include oil rigs.
“But it has to be real. It has to include a ban so we can put this issue to rest once and for all.”
Ingraham added: “We need the certainty of a ban. Unless we have a ban, it will always be potentially on the table, dividing us.”
The group vowed to help the government move forward with a ban and to support growing a sustainable tourism economy for the benefit of all Bahamians.
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