FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas — The long-standing issue and litany of complaints by residents of Pinder’s Point regarding strong and possibly harmful emissions from industrial plants within the area is being addressed by the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, the Hon. Vaughn Miller, with a promise to “bringing a permanent solution” to the problem.

Minister Miller, along with members of his Ministry were in Grand Bahama recently to form a collaborative partnership with the Ministry for Grand Bahama, the Grand Bahama Port Authority and stakeholders from the Industrial Park to discuss a vexing problem that has plagued some Grand Bahamians for years.

During a press conference on Thursday, October 3, 2024, in the Collab Unit of the Ministry for Grand Bahama, Minister Miller revealed the meetings he has had with all of the partners involved to bring about a solution and outlined some of the steps that will be taken to deal with alleged emissions from nearby industrial plants.

“We’ve come to Grand Bahama, because we’ve heard the cries of the people,” said Minister Miller, during Thursday’s press conference in Grand Bahama. “We’ve heard the complaints. We’ve come because of the complaints that we’ve been hearing from the residents, particularly of the Pinder’s Point area, and surrounding communities as to the alleged emissions and odors from industrial activities in the area.”

Residents making their complaints have referred to Buckeye, a nearby Industrial Plant, as the source of those emissions. For Minister Miller, it was important to get Buckeye in on the discussions.

“So, in partnership with Buckeye, the Ministry of Grand Bahama, the Grand Bahama Port Authority and my Ministry, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, we will be seeking to put together a number of short and long-term solutions to address the issues,” added Minister Miller. “The principal objectives will be to return to regular monitoring of the air quality, of the soil, of the ground water and other areas.

“This has been a vexing problem for successive governments who have sought to address this issue over the past thirty or more years. But there have not been any sustained efforts to bring final resolution to this issue. But that’s the reason we are here, to bring the sustained effort and because we want to bring a resolution to this matter.”

Joe Votta, Vice-President of Buckeye Caribbean Region said the company appreciated the opportunity to engage and collaborate with members of the government and all of the company’s external stakeholders on the matter. He said Buckeye will continue to dedicate its efforts to being a safe, environmentally responsible and collaborative corporate citizen in Grand Bahama.

Buckeye Bahamas took over the industrial plant in 2009. The recent complaints are being attributed to unplanned maintenance to its facility. Minister Miller stated that Buckeye may not be the only industrial plant on the island who may be guilty of harmful emissions.

“We believe that other industrial plants on the island could be guilty as well,” said Minister Miller. “It is our intention to do a complete review to identify where these emissions are coming from and let the chips fall where they may.”

Minister for Grand Bahama, Hon. Ginger Moxey admitted that the complaints from the residents of Pinder’s Point and surrounding communities have persisted for years. Therefore, she was more than happy to have the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources come in to conduct collaborative meetings with all of the agencies involved in an effort to address those concerns.

“Buckeye is here, represented, and we had a great meeting on the way forward on things we intend to do to make sure that conditions are improved,” said Minister Moxey. “So, I’m grateful to the Ministry of Environment for taking the leadership on this. It’s going to be all-hands-on-deck. We cannot work in silos and expect to get things done.

“I’m thankful to all who are involved and a part of this. We want to see results. We want to see action, not business as usual. So that we can ensure that people’s lives improve, and the area is impacted in a way that improves their lives.”

Minister Miller assured that the efforts to correct whatever issues that may exist in the communities near the industrial parks will be a continuous one. In fact, he noted that in the very near future, representatives from his Ministry will return to Grand Bahama to meet with the other stakeholders, the other corporate entities in the Industrial Park.

The purpose for this, he said, is to let them know that the health, well-being and lives of the residents living within that community is important to his government and his ministry.  Once the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources has met with all of the industrial park stakeholders, they will then go to the people in those affected areas and hold very candid conversations with them about the plans to deal with the issues.

“Our intention is to bring a resolve to this vexing issue that’s been hanging around for far too long,” said Minister Miller. “We’ve heard the cries of these residents and we’re taking it very seriously.”

PHOTO CAPTION

FORMING PARTNERSHIPS – Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, the Hon. Vaughn Miller (center) speaking to the press about a partnership between his ministry, the Ministry for Grand Bahama, the Grand Bahama Port Authority and Buckeye Bahamas to bring about a sustained solution to the decades-old problems of strong, harmful emissions in Pinder’s Point and surrounding communities, during a press conference on Thursday, October 3, 2024 in the Collab Unit of the Ministry for Grand Bahama.  Also on hand for the press conference was Minister for Grand Bahama, the Hon. Ginger Moxey; Minister of State for the Environment and Natural Resources, Zane Lightbourne; Member of Parliament for Central Grand Bahama, Iram Lewis and Vice-President of Buckeye Caribbean Region, Joe Votta.

(BIS Photo/Lisa Davis)