Fighting Corporate Greed
- Bad Actors: Challenger Energy Group (CEG), formerly Bahamas Petroleum Company, can’t be trusted. Their 2020 exploratory drilling off Andros Island was approved without adequate public consultation, and their Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Plan were criticized for not meeting international standards. Moreover, CEG still owes The Bahamas unpaid license fees from its previous exploration activities, and its exploration licences expired in June 2021.
- Failed Drilling: After drilling in the pristine water of Cay Sal Bank in the Southwestern Bahamas, CEG failed to locate commercial quantities of oil. Although its drilling license has long expired, CEG has continued to argue for its right to drill, and is actively seeking ways to profit from its drilling infrastructure in the Bahamas.
- A Grassroots Defense: In 2021, the Our Islands Our Future coalition launched a petition to demonstrate calling on the Prime Minister of the Bahamas to implement an immediate moratorium on issuance of all oil drilling licenses. The petition generated over 97,000 signatures. Since then, OIOF has grown into a coalition of hundreds of local businesses, environmental groups, activists, and concerned Bahamians fighting to protect their environment and their home.
- A Blue Future: National polling from 2024 revealed that 86% of Bahamian citizens support a ban on oil drilling and 74% of respondents said they support The Bahamas’ transition from fossil fuel use entirely to renewable energy. As a low-lying island nation on the frontlines of climate change, The Bahamas has a moral obligation to lead by example in the fight against global warming. The Bahamian people desire an environmentally sustainable and economically secure future free from the dangers of fossil fuel extraction.