75 cents major g oil spill vol. 31 - no. 147 wednesdayb...

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A L L T H E N E W S Y O U N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G

VOL. 31 - NO. 147 75 CENTSWEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2019

75 Million Gallons of Oil Spilledn estimated 1.9million barrels ofcrude oil or 75million gallons

of oil was spilled fromEquinor’s oil facility inGrand Bahama, accord-ing to Minister of theEnvironment andHousing RomauldFerreira.While speaking to

reporters yesterday,Ferreira added that 6,000barrels or 252,000 gallonsof oil has been recovered.

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4...

A

love 97 celebrates 25 years of broadcasting

4 Love 97 FM celebrates its 25th Silver Jubilee Anniversary. Jones Communications Network CEO Wendall Jones and staff celebrated the milestone on Tuesday during a cake cuttingceremony. (Photo/Rayvon Morrison)

Major GB Oil Spill

4 Minister of the Environment and HousingRomauld Ferreira

Various Sources to Fund New Ministry

4 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance,Peter Turnquest

Deputy Prime Ministerand Minister of FinancePeter Turnquest admittedyesterday that funding forthe new Ministry ofDisaster Preparedness,Management andReconstruction will call


g See page 4...

Former MP Dies at 72Former Member ofParliament and Cabinetminister Tennyson Wellsdied yesterday morning atthe age of 72, a few daysafter his release from hos-pital. Mr. Wells was a part of

the first Free NationalMovement (FNM)administration in 1992and served as member of

BY DEANDRE WILLIAMSONJournal Staff Writer

g See page 4... 4 Former Member of Parliament Tennyson Wells

‘PM Insulating Himself’Davis Calls Lewis ‘Dorian Whipping Boy’

Opposition Leader PhilipDavis insisted that theprime minister is “insulat-ing himself from criticismand culpability” associat-

ed with the new Ministryof Disaster Preparedness,Management andReconstruction. Davis said on Tuesday,

during the ProgressiveLiberal Party’s press con-ference, that Prime

Minister Dr. HubertMinnis is “passing thebuck” of his primaryresponsibility to a juniorminister.“Now he has essential-

BY EARYEL BOWLEG Journal Staff Writer

g See page 2...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 9/25/2019 12:29 AM

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Wednesday - September 25th, 2019

Legal Notice

‘PM Insulating Himself’

ly placed poor, but wellintentioned, Iram Lewison his back to absorbmuch of the public back-lash intended for him. Mr.Lewis is now the new‘Dorian whipping boy,’”Davis said.Lewis is the Central

Grand Bahama memberof parliament and theprime minister appointedhim as the minister of

state responsible for thenew ministry.“It only adds to the

expenses of the govern-ment. It is a waste ofpublic resources, finan-cial and otherwise. Whatwe need is structural andfunctional reform ofNEMA. That entity mustbecome an autonomousand fully resourced cor-porate sole entity,” Davissaid.“This new ministry is

nothing more than anadditional layer ofbureaucracy that willcause more and longerdelays thus deepening thefrustration, anger feel-ings of hopelessnessamong our already dis-tressed people. This willno doubt intensify thecriticism of the primeminister, his policies andhis government.” On the issue of tax

concessions under the

special economic recov-ery zones policy andbonded warehouses,Davis cautioned the gov-ernment against re-inventing the wheel andin duplicating efforts asthis, he said, will onlyadd to the delays and cre-ate more confusion.“As the management

and accounting systemsare already in place tofacilitate this tax conces-sion policy, the govern-

ment need only tweak it,making it specific andrelevant to the needs ofthe Abaco community,”Davis said. “Concerning real

property tax, there is noreal property tax forBahamians residing out-side of New Providence.Therefore, the primeminister’s statement isconfusing concerning thecircumstances surround-ing this exemption for

foreigners who live, ownproperty and businessesin the affected areas. Thisrequires some clarifica-tion.”The opposition further

charged that given theextent of the damage sus-tained to GrandBahama’s businesses, thegovernment’s allocationof $10 million is notenough and the govern-ment should give at least$100 million.

Approximately 70,000people in Grand Bahamaand Abaco will benefitfrom post hurricane taxwaivers and incentives,according to DeputyPrime Minister andMinister of Finance PeterTurnquest.Turnquest told

reporters yesterday that agroup from the interna-tional community willsoon be in the country tocalculate the exact num-ber.

“They will be here onOctober 1. So October 1and 2, they will be flyinginto the affected areas todo the economic assess-ments and so we shouldhave a report shortlythereafter,” he said. The deputy prime min-

ister added that the orderis simply awaiting hissignature.“The order is actually

on my desk to sign.We’re doing a few tweaksto it and today we’ll get abit of clarification on acouple of points so thatwe make sure we have

the document drafted asthe prime minister hasintended,” Turnquestsaid. “So hopefully if not

today, certainly tomor-row or Thursday the lat-est I imagine, we willhave that order out in fulldetail with the detailsbehind it as to how peo-ple would access the var-ious incentives that areavailable in that order.” Abaco and Grand

Bahama have beendeemed special economicrecovery zones for thenext three years.


70,000 to Benefit fromHurricane Tax Waivers

Davis Calls Lewis ‘Dorian Whipping Boy’

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

4 Opposition Leader Philip Davis and other members of the opposition held a press conference yesterday to discuss the government’s post hurricane relief and restoration efforts. (Photo/PLP)


A3The Bahama Journal

Wednesday - September 25th, 2019NationalNEWS

Love 97 Celebrates 25 YearsLove 97 FM, a subsidiaryof Jones CommunicationsNetwork, celebrated its25th anniversary onTuesday. When the first show

aired on the radio station25 years ago, CEOWendall Jones said Love97 “shall at all times strivenot only for technicalexcellence, but also forfairness, decency andobjectivity in the presen-tation of all” the station’sprograms.Mr. Jones embarked on

a journey “to transformbroadcasting for the betterby offering programmingwhich will enhance thesocial, religious, econom-ic and political well-being” of the country. “It has been a long

journey, but it has beenquite a fulfilling experi-ence for not only myself

and a number of peoplewho’ve been associatedwith JonesCommunications andLove 97 over the last 25years,” he said.

“We started with a verysmall staff doing radioand we became quickly avery dominant radio sta-tion because at that time,there were only a few

probably three in thecountry and then we grewinto Grand Bahama.”Some may know of the

station’s programs likeIssues of the Day and

Jones and Company, butLove 97 has the reputationfor training some of thebest journalists in thecountry, which Mr. Joneshighlighted of the sta-

tion’s legacy. “Those people who

come through our doors.They must subscribe tovery high standards andmany of them come fromcolleges and universities,”he said.“They come with theo-

retical knowledge, but weensure they have the kindof practical experience todo the kind of work theyought to do.“Another good thing

about it is that in thismedia enterprise, you areinvolved in the productionof news for radio, televi-sion, as well as newspa-per. So you are a well-rounded journalist by thetime you leave JonesCommunications.”Love 97 thanks the

public for tuning in forover two decades. Nothing describes the

radio station more thanLove 97’s slogan, “It’s aGreat Feeling.”

BY EARYEL BOWLEG Journal Staff Writer

4 Jones Communications Network CEO Wendall Jones cutting cake to share with staff. Pictured right is JCN News AnchorMacushla Pinder. (Photo/Rayvon Morrison)

Gibson’s Trial Delayed AgainThe criminal trial for for-mer Progressive LiberalParty (PLP) Member ofParliament Shane Gibsonwas delayed for a secondday after prosecutors andGibson's attorneys spentthe better part of Tuesdaymorning conducting pre-trial arguments.

For nearly four hours,the attorneys wereengaged in those pre-trialarguments before JusticeCarolita Bethel.Yesterday was also

expected to be the start ofjury selection. However,that too did not takeplace as potential jurorswere taken into courtshortly after mid-morn-ing for jury selection, but

just after noon were dis-missed.Although it was con-

firmed by Gibson'slawyer Damian Gomez,QC, that a gag orderremains in effect, TheBahama Journal under-stands that yesterday'sproceedings will have apreliminary legal issueargued.The former minister of

labour and nationalinsurance was in August2017 arraigned inMagistrate's Court ontwo counts of conspiracyto commit extortion, twocounts of conspiracy tocommit bribery, 16counts of bribery, 15counts of extortion andone count of misconductwhile in public office.It is alleged that while

serving as a Cabinet min-ister, Gibson received$610,000 from contractorJonathon Ash to speed upthe process of paymentrelated to clean up effortsafter Hurricane Matthewin 2016. The extortion charges

were later withdrawn bythe Crown.The former PLP MP is

being represented by

Keith Knight, QC, fromJamaica, Damian Gomez,QC, Owen Wells andPhilip McKenzie.James Guthrie, QC,

from England leads theCrown assisted byDestiny McKinney andTerry Archer from theAttorney General'sOffice.Gibson returns to court

on Thursday.

BY LICEC BASTIANJournal Staff Writer


A4 The Bahama Journal

Wednesday - September 25th, 2019 NationalNEWS

“Of the 6,000 barrelscollected, some of it canbe reused. But of course,it’s going to have to bereprocessed because itmay be mixed with waterand other debris,” he said. “There is about 12,000

cubic meters of sludge sothat will be shipped out ofthe country for disposal tothe United States pursuantor under the BaselConvention because underthe convention, we haveto confirm what we areactually sending to theU.S. and they have toagree to accept it. But itwill be disposed of out ofthe country.“There is about 750

cubic yards of contami-nated soil and rock aggre-gate because the Bahamasdoesn’t have much soil.So anytime you scrapesoil, you always scrape

rock.“That mixture will be

treated by way of delusioninjection of microbes andaeration and disposed of atthe Grand Bahama land-fill.” Ferreira added that

Equinor has quadrupledits staff to address theissue.“They went from hav-

ing a staff of about 50.Now they have 200 pluspersons on the groundinvolved in recovery andremediation,” he said. “Those persons are

housed in two offshorevessels that are on site.The equipment that hasbeen mobilized, in addi-tion to booms and skim-mers, they have about 13vacuum trucks, two heli-copters and of course, twoboats. So that’s ongoing.“The ambient air, there

in order to protect therecovery team, is being

monitored for benzene.“Benzene is a com-

pound that’s not safe tobreathe. That’s beingmonitored by an externalthird party for independ-ent modification.” In terms of cleanup

costs and just how muchEquinor has lost, that’sstill being calculated. Equinor has investigat-

ed the impact the spillmay have had on the envi-ronment.“So far, they did exten-

sive aerial recognizancealong the entire westernseaboard of Abaco and ofcourse, Grand Bahama,”Ferreira said.“They saw two areas of

interest, but they turnedout to be seaweed. Theyused visuals and infraredtechnology to do theirscopes. On land, we canconfirm that one goat andthree birds were impactedby the spill.”

Major GB Oil Spill

Various Sources to Fund New Ministry

for a number of adjust-ments to be made andthat some of its functionswill fall under existingportfolios. “A lot of the work that

this ministry will do willbe coordinating more sothan actually doingthings themselves. Butto the extent that there isbudgetary needs for themspecifically, there are anumber of places we candraw from,” Turnquestsaid. “As you know, we are

taking funding from theinternational communitythrough donors, as wellas through the contingentline of credit that wehave drawn down on, aswell as the dormant

accounts fund.“We are taking some

money from that, whichas you know, when wedid the legislation wasdesignated towards disas-ter relief. “So we will take a

combination of fundingsources to make sure thatthe ministry has what itneeds to be effective.” What the government

does not plan to do, headded, is use the moneypouring in from the inter-national community.“Not to fund the min-

istry, let’s be clear, but tofund the services that theministry will provide,”Turnquest said. “So for instance,

monies that may havebeen donated may beallocated to shelter. They

may be designated forreconstruction of infra-structure that’s critical togetting people back intothose communities, thatkind of thing.“So we are very care-

ful and want to be verycareful about how we uti-lize donor money in par-ticular so I want to bevery clear about that.“Donor money is

going towards the intend-ed purpose of assistingpeople, not for publicinfrastructure, not foradministrative cost. It’sgoing to the peoplewhere it’s intended togo.” As for staffing needs,

the deputy prime ministersaid there are plans todraw from different areasof the public service.

Former MP Diesparliament for BambooTown and held severalCabinet positions, includ-ing attorney general andminister of agriculture andfisheries.Following his death,

many condolences andtributes poured in from hisFNM colleagues, includ-ing Prime Minister Dr.Hubert Minnis. “He played a role in the

work of FNM administra-tions which oversawvibrant growth in theeconomy, infrastructuralimprovements across thearchipelago, greater par-ticipation for women insenior roles of govern-ment, the freeing of thebroadcast media and morefairness in accessingopportunity for moreBahamians,” Dr. Minnissaid.“Many admired theresolve Mr. Wells dis-played at any task towhich he applied himself.“I was pleased that

after the 2017 general

election he accepted anappointment as chairmanand president of theBahamas Agriculture andMarine Science Institute(BAMSI). “To the end, he sought

to ensure that greateropportunity was affordedto more Bahamians,including farmers andthose in the fishing indus-try. For this, and all hisservice to his belovedcountry, I am grateful.”According to Minister

of Agriculture and MarineResources MichaelPintard, Mr. Wells under-stood the value of havingan institution like BAMSIserving the heart of aFamily Island communityand making a nationalimpact.“The institution, under

his tenure, was well on itsway toward that goal witha number of capital proj-ects under way. Theseincluded a new packingfacility with modernequipment for preparingproduce for market,” Mr.Pintard said.

“His innovations atBAMSI also included afocus on crop diversitybased on the needs of con-sumers as well as theintroduction of aquacul-ture to BAMSI’s portfolio.As an agriculturalist witha strong business sense,Mr. Wells oversaw a trans-formation at BAMSI thatwill reap rewards well intothe future.”Mr. Wells was also a

native of Long Island andin a tribute, Long IslandMember of ParliamentAdrian Gibson said Mr.Wells embodied many ofthe core values held byLong Islanders.“His indelible imprint

and contributions to ourcountry's national devel-opment will stand the testof time,” Mr. Gibson said.“I was honoured to

have had his support dur-ing the last general elec-tion. He was a vocal sup-porter and offered advicethat was instrumental toour campaign and there-after. I am forever gratefulfor his input.”





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