BELMOPAN, Belize – The Belizean government says it has not it has not entered into any agreements for seismic studies nor for oil exploration in offshore areas even as the international company, Oceana said it would begin collecting the necessary signatures to trigger a national referendum.
Prime Minister John BricenoIn a statement, the government said having regard to the press conference held by Oceana, it has made “unprecedented progress in positioning its natural capital in its overall vision for the economic recovery and growth of our country.
“Consistent with Plan Belize, and its mandate to ensure the responsible use of its natural capital to realize its economic, social and environmental goals, the government will continue to approach its natural capital resources in a responsible and wise manner,” the government added.
But in a press release announcing that from Thursday, it has commenced collecting the necessary signatures to trigger a national referendum, Oceana Vice President Janelle Chanona, said the company took this decision following a conversation held on September 9th, 2022, with Prime Minister John Briceño “during which he confirmed his administration’s intention to proceed with seismic testing in Belizean waters without prior approval of the public to lift the moratorium against the exploration and exploitation of offshore oil
“Given the years of support against offshore oil and the level of public outcry in 2016 in response to seismic ships that were secretly cleared to begin work, we feel strongly that this is an issue that Belizeans want to be consulted on before any shift in the current policy position on offshore oil,” said Chanona, adding “the only reason to collect seismic data is to proceed to oil production”.
But in its statement, the Briceno government said in the September 9 meeting “the Prime Minister, among other matters, did discuss the issue of seismic surveys and the existing moratorium with Oceana.
“In pursuance of his commitment to environmental and social principles, the Prime Minister reiterated the need to understand the extent of Belize’s offshore non-renewable economic resources in order to have an informed strategy on their potential for leveraging, given the national direction towards decarbonization and nature-based economy. Furthermore, the government’s commitment to allow the determination of such an important policy to be people-centered was restated by the Prime Minister.
“The statements by Oceana at the press conference …are regrettable especially given its accessibility to this administration’s offices at the highest level for open and transparent discourse to have a clear and unified approach to this issue and all matters of mutual and national interest,” the statement added.
Oceana, which said it has won more than 225 victories and protected more than 4.5 million square miles of ocean since its formation in 1999, said the Petroleum Operations (Maritime Zone Moratorium) Act, 2017, currently prevents the exploration for and exploitation of petroleum and other petroleum operations in the maritime zone of Belize and includes penalties and fines for persons and/or corporate bodies who contravene the law.
“We are however fully cognizant that laws can be changed in a day, especially by a super majority Government. This exercise is therefore a decisive and transparent way for Belizeans to highlight their interest in participating in decisions on a far-reaching and long-standing issue.” Chanona said.
“This referendum will also require that Belmopan reconciles its decision to explore for offshore oil with the country’s position as a global ocean conservation leader and national vulnerability to the impacts of the climate crisis as well as our national brand as a premier eco-friendly tourism destination. Belize should and can be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
