Given the challenges many countries around the globe have faced in containing oil spills, Guyana has taken steps to avoid a similar fate by making oil and gas operators liable for environmental protection, thanks to a new legislation, which sets out a comprehensive national legal framework for oil spill prevention, preparedness, response, and compensation.

Guyana’s National Assembly has debated and passed on May 16, 2025, a bill, formally known as the Oil Pollution Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Responsibility Bill 2025, said to greatly enhance national preparedness to ensure that responsible parties will be held accountable in the unfortunate event of an oil spill.