Exxon Breached Guyana Environmental Permit, High Court Rules
- Judge orders Exxon to provide ‘unlimited’ oil-spill guarantee
- Guyana has become a major production zone for the oil giant
A drill ship contracted by Exxon Mobil off the coast of Guayana in 2018.
Photographer: Christopher Gregory/The New York Times/Redux PicturesThis article is for subscribers only.
Exxon Mobil Corp. has breached its environmental permit in Guyana for failing to provide adequate oil-spill insurance, the nation’s High Court ruled.
Exxon has until June 10 to provide an “unlimited” guarantee that the oil giant and its partners will be responsible for all clean-up costs if there is a spill in the consortium’s area of offshore operations, Justice Sandil Kissoon wrote in a ruling Wednesday. The court also found Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency in breach of its duty to enforce Exxon’s environmental compliance.