Reps To Probe Environmental Damage In Oil-producing Communities

House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the service and unprecedented environmental damage within oil producing communities.

Consequently, the House mandated the committees on Petroleum Resources, Environment, Climate Change and Host Communities to investigate the environmental damage in oil producing communities caused by non-compliance with extant laws by oil producing companies.

This was sequel to the adoption of an amended motion moved by Hon. Ahmadu Usman Jaha (APC, Borno) at plenary on Wednesday.

Moving the motion, Jaha said many oil wells in Bayelsa State are depleted and are no longer commercially viable, which accounts for the sale of lots of old upstream assets by international oil and gas companies to local players.

He said international global best practice requires that all depleted and commercially non-viable oil well platforms be decommissioned to prevent environmental hazards or interference with other maritime activities

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The lawmaker stated that Section 232 of the Petroleum Industry Act provides that at the end of their exploration activities, oil producing companies should ensure that the environment is returned to its original state by decommissioning and disposing of non-viable platforms.

“Section 233 of the Petroleum Industry Act provides for establishment of a Fund for the mitigation of negative environmental impacts associated with decommissioning or abandonment of oil and gas fields and assets.

“Local and foreign Oil and Gas Companies have persistently disregarded extant laws by abandoning non-viable platforms and facilities at their operational bases without following the standard practices, thereby posing great risks to the host communities, as the emission of poisonous gases from abandoned facilities are resulting to unexplainable ailments and terminal diseases amongst the people.

“The abandoned facilities are impeding water transportation causing unimaginable dangers to farmers. The relevant regulatory bodies are not taking any serious steps to set things right, while members of the host communities are suffering life threatening hardship as a result of negligence from the parties involved,” Jaha argued.