EPA gets $ 609M in the 2021 budget
– $ 30M for “insufficient” capital expenditure – Dr. Adams
Kaieteur News – Guyana’s environmental protection body, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has received a total of $ 609 million in the 2021 National Budget, but says Dr. Vincent Adams, former head of the agency that the capital allocation in that amount is not sufficient.
In an invited comment to Kaieteur News, Adams explained that the total is only 58% of the EPA’s $ 1.1 billion bid for 2020 – however the budget initially planned for that year did not come to light because of the debate long after the elections. That amount he identified with the contribution of EPA staff was developed to meet the agency’s basic needs to build a solid foundation and continue the progress made in 2019.
However, he noted that “This $ 609 million appears to be a reasonable sum, considering that we are still in a COVID-19 environment which will undoubtedly hinder the EPA’s work activities as it did in not allowing approval and approval. implement the 2020 bid ”.
However, Dr. Adams expressed his dissatisfaction at the $ 30 million allocation for capital expenditures to the agency. He explained that this amount is insufficient as the EPA lacks the most basic operating equipment.
Vincent Adams.
“Most notably, the EPA has no basic operational equipment to perform its most basic function of measuring and monitoring contaminants in air, soil, water or noise when required,” he transpired.
The former head of the EPA recommended that the budget be increased significantly based on the estimated needs outlined by the agency. He added “COVID would not interfere with procuring these equipment and training that are urgently needed for use at the closing time.”
For years, the EPA has been unable to fulfill its mandate due to severe budgetary constraints and this worrying situation was highlighted by the Chartered Accountant and former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran back in 2015.
In a forensic audit of the EPA, Goolsarran noted that the agency was allocated about 50% of the requested operating expenditure for the years. This meant that the EPA had no other choice than to reduce its program of activities to match the approved amounts.
Basic operations such as site visits for processing environmental permit applications were deferred, leading to a backlog, Goolsarran had outlined in his report. Similar situations existed with conducting audits and renewals as well. In addition, Goolsarran noted that neither has the EPA been able to have a dedicated regional presence, so vital to the implementation of its mandate nationwide, particularly in the in-house locations.
Goolsarran also highlighted in that audit report that the EPA did not have laboratory facilities for testing samples. And with Guyana’s potential oil sector on the rise, it is creating a worrying situation.
Dr. Adams relayed to Kaieteur News that the EPA lacked the human resources needed to properly manage the oil sector. In fact, the agency did not even have the human resources needed to be an effective regulatory body.
It had identified that the EPA needed a total of 262 staff to be efficient, but only 97 officers were working at the time. In addition to this, Dr. Adams advised that the agency was continually borrowing equipment from other ministries to do its work. He was also unable to monitor properly due to his poor vehicle fleet.
With work over time, Dr. Adams to increase the agency’s human resource capacity to 120 and plans were underway to boost it to at least 300 with a view to procuring a state-of-the-art laboratory for the Agency. The fleet of vehicles has also been increased to aid monitoring. However, these and other plans were cut short after his contract was terminated abruptly when the new government took office.
With the 2021 budget, there is hope to transform the agency into a strict oil and gas regulator. Dr. Adams hopes that large expenditure will be directed towards meeting the urgent needs for capacity building. That would mean recruiting officers for the EPA’s Petroleum Monitoring Unit.
Under his tenure, the EPA had worked with the World Bank to develop a Petroleum Unit consisting of 36 highly skilled staff to streamline its monitoring duties in the oil and gas sector. However, the agency’s efforts were hampered by the inability of the Coalition regime at the time to approve the funding necessary due to its carer status.
And in light of the myriad of issues Guyana is facing with FPSO Liza Destiny, it is vital that this unit is up and running, he added. In addition, money should be spent to ensure EPA’s sub-office in each region by the end of 2021 to mitigate the cost and inconvenience of business and the public having to travel from the far ends of the country to Georgetown to conduct business.