It appears that the Governments of St. Eustatius and the Netherlands are again on the way to a head-on collision on various matters, including a 2015 amendment to the Marine Environment Ordinance that reduces Statia’s underwater park by some 20 per cent (see related story). The decision was made at the time to accommodate future plans of NuStar, which on Friday formalised a 10-year agreement with the Executive Council that is to produce a minimum of US $3.8 million for the public entity.
However, Island Governor Julian Woodley was instructed by Dutch Government Representative Gilbert Isabella not to add his required signature, which puts the validity of the entire deal in doubt. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations in The Hague has asked the State Attorney for an advice on the contract.
The main reason for the latter is obviously the Marine Ordinance amendment that State Secretary of Economic Affairs Martijn van Dam threatened to suspend or annul. His stance seems to have the backing of nature organisation Stenapa, which said that – contrary to claims made by Commissioner Charles Woodley – Stenapa had never endorsed the change.
The issue is rather complicated, because the marine park is on the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) list. Needless to say, it’s also very important to the local hospitality industry, specifically dive tourism, which is one of Statia’s main economic pillars.
But then so is the oil terminal, regarding government income, employment and spin-off business. The agreement was reportedly necessary to guarantee the long-term continuity of the transhipment activities on the island.
Under the circumstances, one has to wonder whether some sort of compromise can’t be reached on this matter by, for example, letting the company do something else considered crucial for the environment as compensation. Stenapa said it had offered two proposals in which both the harbour and nature are taken into account, which could perhaps serve as a starting point.
Ultimately, it’s not about who’s right or wrong, but about the best general interest of the people of St. Eustatius. If common sense prevails, a win-win situation might still be possible.
