The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

OPPONENTS of Bahama Rock’s proposed Freeport Harbour expansion yesterday challenged the warning that its planned September 18 temporary production halt means this nation will face an unavoidable shortage of construction aggregate.

Preserving Paradise, a group opposing the project, said that while the situation facing 69 furloughed Bahama Rock workers requires immediate attention, the company’s impending shutdown should not determine the outcome of the environmental review for its proposed acquisition, then excavation, of the former Bahamas Cement Company (BCC) property.

“The company’s scheduled production stoppage does not, on its own, establish that the country faces an unavoidable aggregate shortage,” Preserving Paradise said, calling for an “urgent, independently verified assessment” of whether other producers in Grand Bahama and elsewhere in The Bahamas can meet the domestic demand currently supplied by Bahama Rock.

The group said the assessment should examine available quantities, product suitability, delivery times and delivered prices, while distinguishing between domestic deliveries and export volumes when considering the project’s claimed national supply implications.

“Neither the exhaustion of all limestone nor the availability of further lawful extraction should be assumed,” Preserving Paradise said, adding that Bahama Rock’s statement refers specifically to the exhaustion of its “currently permitted reserves”.

The group is also asking for an updated account of Bahama Rock’s remaining permitted and recoverable material, available stockpiles and the basis for the company’s September 18 production forecast.

Bahama Rock said yesterday its existing limestone reserves are finite and are being depleted, with production currently scheduled to cease on September 18. “The simple fact of the matter is the existing Bahama Rock property is nearing the exhaustion of its currently permitted aggregate reserves,” the company said.

It added that the temporary layoffs of hourly employees announced recently “reflects this reality and gives the company some time to assess how to best manage the impending shutdown”.

Bahama Rock said the Bahamas Cement Company property “has the potential to provide access to adjacent limestone reserves to enable the continuation of operations, preserve existing employment and sustain the economic activity generated by the business”.

The company rejected suggestions it was using the livelihoods of its workers as leverage to secure approval for the expansion. “Any suggestion that Bahama Rock would use the livelihoods of its employees as a bargaining chip is wholly inconsistent with the facts and mischaracterises the company’s position,” it said.

Bahama Rock also stressed that the issue extends beyond the company and its workforce, arguing that its aggregates have for decades supported infrastructure investment, residential development, tourism projects, commercial construction and wider economic activity.

“Ensuring a reliable, long-term supply of these materials is important not only for the company’s employees and customers, but for the continued development and competitiveness of Grand Bahama and the nation as a whole,” the company said.

Preserving Paradise agreed that the workers affected by the shutdown need immediate attention, but said their livelihoods and the approval of the proposed expansion should not be treated as the same question.

The group called on Bahama Rock and relevant labour authorities to establish a clear employee support and transition plan, including the anticipated duration of temporary lay-offs, benefits, recall arrangements, redeployment or training opportunities and the consequences if the stoppage becomes permanent.

“Workers deserve timely, clear information about their employment, income, benefits and prospects for recall,” the group said. It added that employees should be told whether approval of the project would actually permit an immediate restart of production or whether preparatory works could create a further interruption.

The September 18 production halt has added urgency to a project that has already generated significant public concern in Grand Bahama.

Bahama Rock’s proposal involves the excavation of roughly 270 acres of the former Bahamas Cement Company property as part of a broader Freeport Harbour expansion. The company has argued that the project would allow it to access additional limestone while supporting a wider harbour development, including turning basins and berths.

The proposal has been presented as a means of securing Bahama Rock’s future operations and 84 jobs, while also providing infrastructure and economic benefits to Grand Bahama.

Residents, however, raised concerns at a July public consultation over the potential impacts of the project, including blasting, dust, flooding, property damage, groundwater and environmental impacts.

Preserving Paradise has subsequently filed objections challenging elements of the project’s environmental evidence and the adequacy of the assessment and consultation process.

The group is now also asking regulators to determine whether a qualified independent operator could lawfully and commercially continue any remaining extraction in Bahama Rock’s existing Area 3, separately from the proposed Bahamas Cement Company excavation.

“This requires current reserve information, confirmation of ownership and operating rights, and a clear account of applicable approvals and environmental responsibilities,” Preserving Paradise said.

It stressed that it was not claiming that replacement supply or an Area 3 successor is already available, but that those options should be investigated before the Bahamas Cement Company expansion is presented as indispensable to national construction supply.

“Temporary supply arrangements, alternative sources, feasible operating adjustments, and worker transition opportunities should be tested for cost, timing, environmental consequences and practical availability,” the group said.

The environmental questions surrounding the project also remain unresolved.

Preserving Paradise pointed to the Flood Potential Assessment contained in the October 2024 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which it said concluded that the harbour expansion, as then planned, may increase flood risk and recommended mitigation measures, an integrated approach to flood management, monitoring and community engagement.

The group acknowledged that the finding does not establish that particular properties will flood because of the project, but said it requires a clear explanation of how the identified risks would be addressed, who would fund and maintain mitigation measures and what risk would remain.

Bahama Rock said it respects the environmental review process and supports a “thorough, science-based application evaluation”, while committing to comply with applicable laws, regulations and permitting requirements.

“This matter is not about choosing between jobs and the environment,” the company said. “It is about working together to reach a mutually beneficial project resolution that ensures continued employment, community prosperity, future investment and the long-term availability of construction materials that are essential to building and maintaining The Bahamas.”

Preserving Paradise said it remains opposed to the proposed Bahamas Cement Company excavation while material environmental questions remain unresolved.

“We take the company’s announcement seriously,” the group said. “Our response is to call for immediate support for affected workers, reliable information for the public, and a fully reasoned decision on the proposed excavation.”