naturalresources

Zane Lightbourne has been appointed the ‘temporary’ Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, according to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The announcement comes about two months since the sudden death of Minister Vaughn Miller, who held the portfolio up until his passing.

Lightbourne, who previously served as Minister of State in the Ministry of the Environment, will now oversee the ministry’s operations, but only in a “temporary” capacity, the press statement noted.

No timeline has been given for how long he will serve in the “temporary” role or whether the position could become permanent.

It could mean he continues the work left by Miller until the general election, or that he is given the post to ensure that the ministry continues to function without disruption while the Prime Minister Davis decides on a permanent replacement.

The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources is important since it handles trending and global issues like climate change, waste management, and conservation.

Lightbourne’s appointment means he will carry out the duties and decisions of a full minister until a formal change is made.

The Prime Minister’s Office expressed confidence in Lightbourne’s ability to maintain the ministry’s work and advance its agenda.

Miller died September 28, leaving the post void until now. Lightbourne now steps into that position and is tasked with continuing Miller’s work.

The Bahamas is mourning the sudden death of Cabinet Minister Vaughn Miller. But as tributes pour in, another question emerges: who takes charge of the country’s environmental agenda in his absence?

Miller, who served as Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, carried responsibility for protection and conservation of the environment, international treaties and agreements relating to the environment, land use, permitting, climate resilience, coal and aragonite mining, oil and natural gas, reefs and blue holes, wild animal and bird protection, public sanitation— all areas critical to the Bahamas’ future. His passing creates a policy vacuum in a ministry that faces constant international and domestic pressure.

Why does it matter?

Miller’s role as Environment Minister meant he was likely directly engaged in climate negotiations, environmental allocations, international funding for conservation, carbon credits, and hurricane resilience. His death may disrupt continuity in those negotiations or temporarily weaken the Bahamas’ leverage.

The Bahamas has made commitments on climate change financing and environmental regulation. It has pledged tighter oversight of development projects, many of which depend on ministry approvals. Without clear leadership, ongoing projects could slow down, and international partners may question continuity.

Any ongoing or upcoming environmental initiatives, regulatory reforms, or international commitments Miller backed may stall, and projects in mid-completion could face delays or review.

The big picture

The loss of a sitting minister is rare, but it raises questions about whether succession plans exist to ensure stability when the unexpected happens.

When Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting Obie Wilchcombe unexpectedly died on September 25, 2023, within a few days, Davis became acting Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting until Myles Laroda assumed the official position on January 2, 2024.

State of play

Prime Minister Philip Davis has not yet assigned an acting minister. The absence leaves both environmental advocates and developers guessing what comes next.

Davis will need to assign a new minister, temporarily or permanently.

The bottom line

It remains to be seen if an acting minister will be named within days, if Miller’s files continue or are shelved, and whether or not his death triggers a wider Cabinet reshuffle before an upcoming general election.

The House of Assembly Select Committee on Natural Resources made its first site visit this past week to North Andros.

Why it matters

Many Bahamians have been calling on the government to ensure Bahamians benefit from the country’s natural resources. Thus, a committee was appointed by Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, the latter part of 2020 to examine the country’s natural resources.

The committee promises to make various site visits and make a report to the country on its findings.

What happened on the first official visit

• The Committee spent Wednesday afternoon and Thursday until departure late afternoon making site visits.
• Wednesday was on-land natural resources for the most part including: Morgan’s Bluff, Well Fields, Red Bays (sponge and fish) and Charlie’s Blue Hole.
• Thursday was marine natural resources.
• North Andros resident and Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association President Prescott Smith took the Committee on a tour including the Barrier Reef, the Great Bahama Bank, the Tongue of the Ocean, Stafford Creek and Flats. A delightful highlight of the tour was when about 10 dolphins, including a baby dolphin, swam alongside the boat and jumped out of the water!

The Committee members making the trip:

Michael A. Foulkes, Chairman, Shonel Ferguson, Picewell Forbes, Vaughn Miller and Reece Chipman.  Accompanying the Committee members were Carlton Bowleg, MP for the area, and Rashad Flowers, Assistant Clerk, House of Assembly.

Worth noting

The Committee will continue its work this week in New Providence while making plans for the next site visit in Grand Bahama in February.

A group of Bahamians led by Lincoln Bain, and backed by Centerville MP Reece Chipman assembled in Parliament Square on Wednesday morning, calling for the government to open investigations into the exportation of aragonite out of the country.

The big picture?

It is alleged that governments over the years have permitted only foreign companies to benefit from the sale of aragonite, which some people claim is worth millions of dollars and can add to the country’s economy, creating a new industry.

What they say

• In its first gathering Down Town, group leader Lincoln Bain said the government should do what is right, saying, “We come in peace. When we come back, it will be a different story.”
• He held up a black folder, containing what he says is, “evidence of the proposed document.”
• He continued, “We know the value of our natural resources. You have been exploiting it. You have been mining it. You have been spending millions of dollars behind these same natural resources. And we know the truth.”
• He said some U.S companies “may have been doing some things they should not have been doing” and the government should release reports on what companies have been mining.
• Bain said he reported the matter to the Federal Trade Commission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation because he could not get help from the Bahamas government.

What Environment Minister Romould Ferreira has said

• In 2018, a white paper was to be presented to Cabinet on aragonite. He said a study was to be conducted to determine the economic value and sustainability of the product.
•  Ferreira said recommendations for the sustainable use of aragonite will be put forth because it is not sustainable over a human life span, saying it takes 100-2000 years for a grain to form.
• He said the Bahamas can make more royalties from aragonite, but it will not make everyone a billionaire.

Ferreira explains the process of development of aragonite

• In June 2020, Ferreira estimated that 12,266 – 23,354 million metric tons of aragonite exist in the Bahamas.
• Studies show that depending on the location, the grain of aragonite is of a different size. This happens because each grain of aragonite has an inner nuclear grain that gets coated with calcium carbonate. The more it gets coated the heavier it becomes, eventually falling to the seafloor.
• “For example, aragonite from Cat Cay, Berry Island, Tongue of the Ocean and Eleuthera take 160 years. Aragonite from Lilly Bank takes 296 years to form, that from the Bight of Acklins, 740 years.”

US Company Dillingham Corporation mined since 1970’s

• The Dillingham Corporation of Honolulu had a concession to mine aragonite in a sea bottom area of more than 5.2 million acres — an area nearly twice the size of Connecticut in the Bahamas.
• The rights to the mining were originally granted by the Bahamian Government to the American Museum of Natural History.
• Dr. Thomas D. Nicholson, director of a conservation movement, said, “It was strictly a commercial venture. We thought we had something marketable and we went ahead and sold it. Maybe some fish might be disturbed but they could probably find someplace else.”

By-products of aragonite

• limestone
• chalk
• pearl
• bio-plastic