Owners of gas back Duma

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LANDOWNERS of the liquefied natural gas project areas in Southern Highlands have called on the government to refrain from using the Oil and Gas Act to confuse the powers and functions of ministries and state entities dealing with the project.
The landowners of Hides PDL 1, Hides PDL 7, Angore and Juha wellheads said they did not agree with the decentralisation of powers and functions of the Department of Petroleum and Energy under the enabling legislation, or the Oil and Gas Act.
PDL 1 leader Larry Andagali, Mark Sakai (PDL 2), chief Stanis Talu (PDL 1), Hare Hengi (PDL 1), Peter Potape (PDL 1), Philip Undialu  (PDL 1), Thomas Dara (PDL 1), Eric Ayule (PDL 7), Hengebe Haluya (PDL 9), John Honale (PDL 7), Edward Alina (Moran), chief Paliwa Olago (PDL 1), Howard Lole (PDL 1) and  chief Tamita Malamu said in a joint statement that the act was specific in that the petroleum and energy minister was the administrator of the PNG LNG project.
However, they said these functions had been duplicated by about 10 government departments and their respective ministers.
“By law, petroleum and energy department is the mandated lead agency.
“Departments such as treasury, national planning and monitoring and commerce and industry, MRDC, Kroton, EIC and the office of climate change and their ministers are all unnecessarily caught up in the web,” they stated.
“We, the landowners, are becoming the victim of this bureaucratic bottleneck and are made to look like beggars in our own land, our resources and our rights as to the use, benefit and disposal of these resources.”
The leaders said they respect minister William Duma, who was there from the start, to continue to lead the LNG project.
They also questioned the role of the issues committee and who this committee reported to.
“It now appears that a new sub-department is being created and a new minister is appointed.
“We need to know who is administering the Oil and Gas Act and who is leading the LNG issues,” they said.
“Too many offices, officers and ministers are confusing the landowners.
“The government has blindly appointed Trade and Industry Department who has no local knowledge to process the business development grants and is now causing lengthy delays, confusion and has attracted more than 1,300 applications,” they said.