The government has announced that it will wait three months before it considers re-issuing what is known as the OPIC offshore block, an area covering approximately 1.14 million acres, spanning from east of Belize City to eastern Placencia. OPIC is the Taiwanese National Oil Company, which gave it up in October.
Government is giving the Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage three months to see if it can gather enough names to trigger a referendum on the matter of offshore drilling.
The organization - with membership of over 40 agencies - is launching a public awareness campaign - which you probably saw advertised in this newscast - and a recruitment drive to get voters to sign the petition for a referendum.
Coalition Coordinator Tanya Williams told us more:..
Tanya Williams, Coalition Coordinator
"The first one, Learn; we want to blanket the entire country with information. Provide information to people so they are aware of the issues regarding oil exploration and exploitation in Belize. We want people to understand economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts from this particular industry. The second portion is sign; we have a petition going around that is calling for a referendum and we want people to sign on to that petition and the third part is to vote in the referendum. it is very important that we as a people decide our future. We know that we need sustainable development, we need development of our country, so we need the economic background to do that, but we also have to decide what is it that we want to conserve; what do we want to protect because we know we need both of them. So for us that is the importance behind this entire referendum."
Monica Bodden
"Anything else you like to add?"
Tanya Williams, Coalition Coordinator
"I just want to encourage all Belizeans to sign on to the petition. You are not voting as yet. You are just signing and calling for a referendum."
The petitions are being circulated countrywide, and the coalition hosts special events and community education programmes to encourage participation….
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