Caribbean & Central America - April 2013 (ISSN 1741-4458)

* OIL CONTROVERSIES IN BAHAMAS AND BELIZE. On 16 April, Belize’s Supreme Court declared null and void offshore oil drilling contracts awarded by the government between 2004 and 2007. The challenge to the contracts was launched by groups campaigning against offshore drilling in Belize. The court’s view was that the government had failed to properly assess the environmental impact of the proposed drilling. The court also held that the contracts had been awarded to companies that did not have the requisite expertise to avoid environmental damage. Public opinion appears to be strongly against offshore drilling, fearing the damage that could be done to Belize’s coral reef and its tourism industry as a result of an oil spill.

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