Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman was on Wednesday (June 28, 2017) selected to chair the Special Select Committee on the Petroleum Commission Bill 2017.
The other members of the Committee are Minister Ronald Bulkan and Member so Parliament (MPs), Ervin Rutherford, Jermaine Figueira and Jennifer Wade representing the Government, along with MPs Irfaan Ali, Odinga Lumumba, Pauline Sukhai and Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, representing the Opposition.
The Committee presided over by the Speaker of the House, hosted their first meeting at Committee Room 02 of the Parliament Building.
The Petroleum Commission of Guyana Bill 2017 was read and debated in the National Assembly earlier this month before it was forwarded to the Committee to be fine tuned.
The Bill has 51 Clauses and will create the Petroleum Commission that will have the responsibility for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the policies, laws and agreements for petroleum operations.
It will also, among other things, be responsible for ensuring compliance with health, safety and environmental standards and ensure local content and local participation in all of the activities.
The Petroleum Commission will also have an advisory role to the Minister on matters related to the conduct of the industry and will be managed by a Board of Directors that will comprise experts in various fields as well as representatives of civil society and the parliamentary opposition.
The Commission will also ensure that it accesses the necessary research into the industry so as not to be reliant purely on data that the petroleum operators provide, and approve a petroleum prospecting licence or a petroleum production licence.
It is expected that the bill will be ready for passage before Parliament goes into recess in August.
