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Article

1 Jul 2010

Author:
Louise Redvers, Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS)

Drilling Ever Deeper, Hoping for the Best [Angola]

While BP struggles to contain an oil spill...in the Gulf of Mexico, questions are being asked about how well prepared Africa's oil-producing countries are for a similar incident...According to Vladimir Russo, former National Director at Angola's Ministry of Environment, the country is prepared to respond to a spill. "We have the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan...which makes it compulsory for all the companies operating here to have their own mechanisms and means to address oil spills," he explained...But Elias Issac, Angola director of human rights and governance watchdog the Open Society Institute, believes there is lack of environment-specific legislation and enforcement procedures that leaves not just small communities but the whole country vulnerable to a major incident in Angolan waters...[I]n May, [Isaac] joined campaigners from around the world at a shareholders' meeting...to lobby...Chevron over its environmental record in Cabinda, an oil-rich northern enclave of Angola...Chevron declined to respond to IPS about Open Society's claims about its environmental and social record. [also refers to Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (part of Chevron)]