By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA—BAYELSA State Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Elder Markson Fefegha, has restated the position of the state government in the ongoing reforms in the petroleum industry.

Speaking during the on-the-spot assessment of some host communities impacted by oil and gas exploration activities by the Ad-Hoc Committee on the PIB in the House of Representatives, the commissioner reiterated that as part of the ongoing reforms, the committee should reconsider the siting of the headquarters of all oil and gas companies in the states where they have their highest production capacity and equity participation of oil and gas-producing communities to generate employment and enhance rapid development in the affected communities.

He also said that as part of the ongoing negotiations on the proposed bill, companies should channel the proceeds from penalties on gas flaring to impacted communities.

These, he said, were part of the presentations by the state Commissioner for Mineral Resources and the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice who represented the state at the just concluded public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill at Abuja.