10202023 BUSINESS by tribune242

business@tribunemedia.net

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2023

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Bahamas kickstarts FTX assets sell-off BRIAN SIMMS KC

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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net AN AUTO dealer yesterday disclosed he expects to sell 60 percent of the former FTX vehicle fleet assigned to him within 30 days, but warned: “This is not a fire sale.” Fred Albury, the Auto Mall’s principal, told Tribune Business he has “no doubt the vehicles will move fairly quickly” as the crypto exchange’s Bahamian provisional liquidators begin the process of selling-off assets

THE Deputy Prime Minister yesterday asserted that Exuma is “going places” with tourism 21 percent ahead of pre-COVID levels, but admitted this growth caught the public utilities “behind the 8-ball”. Chester Cooper, addressing the Exuma Business Outlook conference in his own constituency, pledged that the Government is “putting all the pieces in place” to sustain the island’s growth when it comes to physical infrastructure. Revealing that year-overyear tourism growth for

2023 is likely to be 40 percent nationwide, doubling the projected 20 percent, he argued that all Exuma residents need to do is “show up” given that the island has near full employment. Calling on his constituents to “rise to the occasion”, given the need for more workers and entrepreneurs to meet the demands from what he said were $1.5bn worth of approved foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, Mr Cooper asserted that “the harvest in Exuma is plenty, the labourers not so plenty”. Stating that Exuma has “become the envy of The Bahamas”, he added: “You have become one of the fastest growing economic

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

CHESTER COOPER centres in The Bahamas. You have become a thriving, growing community in terms of population. You have become the world over a brand unto yourselves and people are now realising, while the swimming pigs made you famous around the world, Exuma has so much more to offer.” Urging Exuma residents that “it’s incumbent upon us to continue to prime the pump and grow Exuma in an orderly and

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Bahamasair targets 20% capacity growth By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMASAIR is aiming to increase its fleet’s seat capacity by 20 percent come summer 2024 through adding two new jets, with its top executive describing the carrier as a “safeguard” for airlift and tourism. Tracy Cooper, the national flag carrier’s managing director, told the Exuma Business Outlook conference that the carrier’s inability to meet all demand during a “strong summer” had prompted it to expand “its arsenal” with another Boeing 737 jet set to arrive within the next three weeks.

TRACY COOPER And, with a 72-seat ATR turbo prop set to provide a further boost in time for summer 2024, he added that Bahamasair “feels a lot more comfortable” that it will be able to handle

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Developer: ‘Rumours of my death greatly exaggerated’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net AN EXUMA developer yesterday said “rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated” as he outlined progress with his “semiprivate club and marina” project. Brent Hurt, principal of the Marina at Hoopers Bay, said the island “sometimes lives too much on gossip” as he revealed that the development is “on track for docks in the water at the end of the year”. Describing the development as a 30-slip marina that will be “marketed to the power boat crowd”, and

feature two restaurants, bungalows and an on-land fish cleaning station, he told the Exuma Business Outlook conference: “This is an island that sometimes lives too much on gossip. “Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated. That’s water going into the basin. It’s real now, it’s happening and we are so excited to be part of the community. Community is key to sustainability. That’s the key. Our goal is to embrace the entire Hooper’s Bay community in this concept.” Mr Hurt added that he had sold the Village at

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to recover funds owing to clients and creditors. Brian Simms KC, the Lennox Paton senior partner, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accounting duo, Kevin Cambridge and Peter Greaves, in an October 18, 2023, update to FTX Digital Markets’ creditors confirmed they have initiated a sales process to seek buyers for the Bahamian subsidiary’s vehicle fleet some 11 months following its implosion. Backed by the Supreme Court’s June 22, 2023, Order authorising the move, they signalled that they could not wait any longer because the autos are “depreciating assets” that will continue to lose value the longer they remain unused, thus undermining investor recoveries. The FTX Digital Markets liquidators are using a consignment sales process, which will see both the Auto Mall and Nassau Motor Company (NMC) only pay them for the vehicles that they sell. The two auto dealers, in the role of

$6.17 consignee, will have the right to return the vehicles that do not sell to the liquidators without incurring any liabilities or obligations. “A sale of the vehicles by consignment is underway,” the joint provisional liquidators informed FTX Digital Markets creditors. “The joint provisional liquidators can advise that the selected consignees of the vehicles are presently Nassau Motor Company [and] Auto Mall/ Executive Motors. Please contact the consignment parties if you wish to express interest.” No information was provided on the potential collective value of FTX’s former vehicle fleet, or the number of autos involved, and the Bahamian provisional liquidators could not be reached for comment before press time last night. However, their first report to the Supreme Court on February 8, 2023, suggested the combined worth of the vehicles, together with office furniture and equipment, was around $3m.

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Doctors to slash nation’s 213-bed shortage by 32%

Exuma’s tourism up 21% as utilities ‘behind 8-ball’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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DOCTORS Hospital yesterday pledged it will slash The Bahamas’ 213-strong hospital bed shortage by almost onethird come 2025 through the opening of two new facilities. Dennis Deveaux, the BISX-listed healthcare provider’s chief financial officer, told the Exuma Business Outlook conference it is aiming to add a total extra 69 beds over the next two years through the opening of its Grand Bahama hospital and its New Providence-based Harbourside facility. “On a national level, when we look back at the challenge of sick patients needing hospital beds, we

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treatment, IMC treatment or all the way up to intensive care, there are about 213 beds missing in the national capacity for this country. We’ve committed over the next two years to deliver at least on 69 of those 213 beds.” That, if achieved, will reduce the bed shortage by more than 32 percent or just under one-third. Besides the 25 beds that will become available once Doctors Hospital’s Grand Bahama hospital opens, Mr Deveaux added that the private healthcare provider “plans to commission a new hospital in New Providence that will add about 38 beds when it opens in February” next year. That is Harbourside which, once fully operational, was shown as

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CARNIVAL’S $500M PORT IS HAILED AS ‘GAME CHANGER’ A CABINET minister yesterday hailed Carnival’s $500m cruise port as “a game changer for Grand Bahama”. Ginger Moxey, minister for Grand Bahama, addressing attendees who attended a meeting on the Celebration Key project, said it stands to bring two million passengers to the island annually and 13,000 on a daily basis. Job seekers and businesses were yesterday able to meet with Carnival executives responsible for various aspects of the project and find out what is required to become a vendor involved in selling food and beverages, t-shirts, souvenirs, tour operators or employment opportunities. “When this $500m project is completed, Celebration Key will have the capacity to accommodate up to two of Carnival’s Xcel class ships simultaneously, and Grand Bahama will become the home of a flagship destination for cruise travel,” Mrs Moxey said. “This means that our island will welcome millions of Carnival Cruise Line passengers each year, who have travelled to our shores to immerse themselves in our Bahamian culture, our art,

MINISTER for Grand Bahama, Ginger Moxey addressing the Carinval Business Meeting at the Grand Lucayan on Thursday, October 19, 2023.

HUNDREDS of Grand Bahamians showed up at the Carnival Business Meeting at the Grand Lucayan resort on Thursday, October 19, 2023 seeking information on employment and business opportunities that will arise with the completion of the new Carnival Cruise Port in East Grand Bahama.

food, Junkanoo, music and partake in authentic Grand Bahama experiences and enjoy the warmth of our people.” Mrs Moxey said the Ministry for Grand Bahama had constantly voiced the need for Bahamian culture to be central to the Celebration Key project. She added that since the Celebration Key

the cruise port and, more importantly, direct jobs, vendor opportunities and spin-off opportunities for local businesses,” said Mrs Moxey. “The Davis/Cooper-led administration envisions Grand Bahama Island as the ‘home of events and entertainment’, the ‘home of maritime and logistics’,

groundbreaking in May 2022, Carnival representatives have engaged with residents and stakeholders to provide updates and address concerns. “By doing so, Carnival has ensured that our community was involved in candid discussions with representatives about the company’s vision for

and the ‘home of innovation’. The synergy between Celebration Key, the Grand Bahama Shipyard redevelopment, the redeveloped airport, new hospital and other major development projects is a testament to the dynamic future that lies ahead for our island.” She added: “Let us prepare ourselves, because

this is it. This is one of the amazing projects that will revolutionise our island, so get ready to meet the demand. Grand Bahama… Let today inspire you; enlighten you; interest you in the many opportunities that Celebration Key will bring to our island.”

Minister hopeful UN takes control of global tax policy By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net A CABINET minister yesterday voiced optimism there is “momentum building” for a push to snatch control of international tax policy away from the European Union (EU) and OECD. Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, said Caribbean and African nations, as well as international financial centres (IFCs), were uniting in a

bid to ensure such matters are dealt with under the United Nations (UN) - a forum they feel will be fairer and more attuned to their interests. Speaking at the Prime Minister’s weekly press briefing, Mr Halkitis argued that the EU and Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) are not the best arbiters or policy setters on international tax issues because their members compete directly with those nations they

blacklist for financial services business. “The wider point I want to just flag, and we’ll be discussing this as time goes on, is our view that we should move this whole issue of who is compliant and who is not compliant out of the hands of the OECD and the European Union to the United Nations, who we think would be a more independent arbiter of this whole issue,” he explained. “We do not think that jurisdictions who are in competition with us and other jurisdictions, in terms

of financial services, should be the judge and the jury of who’s being compliant in terms of their tax standards.... There should have been a meeting on this this coming Monday in Barbados to discuss that very issue. Unfortunately, that meeting has been postponed. “But there is momentum building in the region, in what we call the global south, in certain places in Africa and the east, that we need to change this calculation. Who determines who is compliant or noncompliant? That’s gaining

momentum. We want to see it go to the UN who has no interest in competing for financial services.” The Bahamas remains on the EU’s revised list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. Mr Halkitis said the EU decision was made based on the April 2023 report by the OECD’s Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, which did not account for the reforms subsequently implemented by The Bahamas to address both groups’ concerns. He maintained that the Government is “optimistic” that The Bahamas

will receive a “favourable review” from the OECD this month, and that this will be taken into consideration by the EU when it next reviews its tax blacklist in February 2024. Mr Halkitis said: “I wanted to make the point that it’s a matter of scheduling. We have not been standing still. We have done a lot of work and we are optimistic for a positive outcome. I don’t agree with the process but, as it stands, that is what we have to react to.”

Halkitis: We’re following law on publishing of contracts By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net MICHAEL Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs, said yesterday the government is still complying with the Public Procurement Act and information is still being updated on the system. Speaking at the Office of the Prime Minister’s weekly press briefing, Mr Halkitis said as contracts are awarded they will be added to the Public Procurement website when questioned by reporters when the government will disclose contracts within the 60 day time period outlined in the Public Procurement Act. He said: “That should be ongoing now. So the process now is going to be continually updated as they are what we call awarded it’ll be on the website.” He maintained the government is complying with the Public Procurement Act although the “goalposts

continue to be moved” by the opposition. He said: “The contracts that are awarded on the system, they will continue to be updated, we are complying with the legislation. But you know, just as we have with the EU blacklisting, and then it seems as if some people are, you know these goalposts continue to be moved, we continue to comply, we continue to train, provide the information, the public will have the benefit of it. “We don’t expect certain quarters ever to be satisfied.. so I don’t have much to say other than that.” Opposition leader Michael Pintard released a statement yesterday accusing the government of using “every feeble and inane excuse” to justify not following the Public Procurement Act. He said: “It is a tragic spectacle for the Bahamian people to watch the people we pay to manage our affairs attempt every feeble and inane excuse to seek to justify why they

cannot follow the laws that they first supported while in Opposition and later approved once in Government. No amount of mistruths, half-truths and deflections can explain why the PLP continues to break the procurement law. The comments today by Minister Halkitis seeking to defend the indefensible continues to show Bahamians why the PLP cannot be trusted to govern.” Mr Halkitis has said that the government “has nothing to hide” and “there was never any intention of this administration to circumvent any requirements under the Public Procurement Act”. He explained the government had to engage a procurement officer, acquire technology and train staff prior to the Public Procurement Act being put in practice. The Davis administration has yet to reveal the procurement officer or the members of the board, however, Tribune Business

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BAHAMAS ‘PRIORITISES’ DEBT SERVICING OVER ITS PEOPLE By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS has reached a point where the Government is prioritising interest payments on its $11.645bn national over services to its people, an investment analyst argued yesterday. Pamela Ferguson, CFAL’s vice-president of Investments, told a conference organised by the investment house: “We have been gradually racking up debt over time. To the point where it is difficult for us to afford it. “You have interest expense, the cost the Government pays on these debts. It’s the largest expenditure item on the list. So basically, the

Government is taking priority over servicing its debt at the expense of serving the people.” Ms Ferguson explained that the Government pays more in interest than it spends on public services such as healthcare and education, and has to prioritise this over social programmes to maintain its financial standing. She said: “And I say that because $500-plus million in the last fiscal year was allocated to interest on debt. $500m-plus when education is about $300m-plus and healthcare $300m-plus. “So when people look at it and say, why aren’t the schools ready? Why can’t we have more in the school system, or why can’t we improve our healthcare system? That’s the reason: Because the Government

has to prioritise paying this debt so it doesn’t default in order to keep the country in a good position, as opposed to doing the things that it needs to do to help the public. So debt is a major problem.” She added that prior to 2007, The Bahamas’ debt-to-GDP ratio was around 36 percent, but as of June 2023 it is now 85 percent, far exceeding the recommended 40 percent ratio. Ms Ferguson said: “The benchmark for a country like The Bahamas, your debt to GDP, was 40 percent. And they said, because we’re a country that really doesn’t have much in terms of export, you have to be 40 percent to be conservative and, prior to 2007, that was the level of the debt

36-plus percent. So we were very conservative. “And the foreign component of that debt was very small, I think it was about $100m plus.. very, very small. But we look at where we are today, our debt-to-GDP is about 80 to 90 percent. It’s very high.” Ms Ferguson explained that borrowing is not the problem, but excessive spending without adequately growing and diversifying the economy has contributed to the national debt spiralling out of control. She said: “Borrowing in and of itself is not bad. It’s not the issue, because countries borrow. I think the problem is when you borrow excessively and too fast, you get yourself to the point in this debt trap

where it’s difficult to pay off your loan. “The problem I have is that politicians continue to just have a narrow vision, looking at how to service their deficit, because they’re spending without thought. There’s no controls to spending, so they’re trying to increase revenue without any means to grow this economy. If you look back over the years, we are only growing between one or less percent.” Ms Ferguson explained that governments have placed an emphasis on increasing tax revenues to service the country’s debt, but more emphasis should be placed on growing the economy so that residents have more disposable income and taxes will fell like less of a burden.

She said: “So if you are increasing taxes without growth, it’s going to become a burden on the people. And even when you do make that increase, and it goes up, it’s going to plateau. “What needs to happen is more emphasis needs to be placed on growing the economy. I mean, tangibly, transparently, setting up bodies, private and public, and even bringing in some experts outside to help us to grow to this economy. “And then if you’re growing the economy, that means people on the job, they’re getting jobs, wages are going up. And so if you increase taxes, it will be a real effect. People will feel it as much as increasing taxes, and people are depressed and salaries are not increasing.”

BPL BASE TARIFF REVIEW MOVES FORWARD TO BID WATER CORP’S MONTHLY By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net CONSULTANTS are being sought to conduct an “independent” study on whether Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) base tariff should be increased, it was revealed yesterday. Toni Seymour, BPL’s chief operating officer, told the Exuma Business Outlook conference that the Government’s project execution unit (PEU) recently released a request for proposal (RFP) seeking bids from consultants to conduct such a review. She added that BPL’s base tariff has not been altered since 2010. Separate and apart from the fuel charge, the base tariff accounts for around 50 percent of customer bills and is the portion from which BPL covers its operational expenses, finances investments and capital upgrades, generates its cash flow and, supposedly, generates its profits.

Though a monopoly provider, it has long been thought that BPL is selling electricity to consumers ‘below cost’ and is unable to cover all its operating expenses. Ms Seymour yesterday said BPL’s rates are “comparatively lower” than many other energy providers in the region for commercial customers. “The base rate that you see on your electricity bill is what we use to fund our operational expenses. Therefore, we have to look for ways to streamline our operations to realise savings,” she added. “We look at things like centralising some of our key functions, and streamlining our operations to work more efficiently. As an example, when we seek to purchase new units, we look at what exists in our network so that we can use these economies of scale to impact purchasing power.” Ms Seymour continued: “BPL’s tariff is what is collected to run the operation as well as fund advancement. We are well overdue for a tariff review, and the

Government of the Bahamas’ project execution unit recently released an RFP for an independent tariff study. A tariff redesign is necessary to ensure that we can incorporate different rate classes to meet our present and future needs.” The new tariff study will examine both residential rates and commercial rates based on the type of operation, where it is expected smaller ‘Mom and Pop’ stores will have their rates adjusted to fit their scale of operation. “So, in some instances, a tariff study could actually drive down the rate of electricity for some of our end users,” she said. BPL is also aiming to finally implement Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), and move towards prepaid metering so customers can have better control over their energy usage. Ms Seymour said: “Efficiency is one of the primary drivers of affordability as a utility and consumer. When it comes to the former, BPL must look at all aspects of its

operations, generation being chief among them. “The most obvious answer to bolstering BPL’s efficiency is the procurement of new assets that operate on cleaner fuels and use less fuel to create electricity. It is BPL’s plan to incrementally upgrade plants across the country, including to be able to meet demand growth and leverage more environmentally-friendly technologies.” She continued: “New generation, particularly those non-reliant on fossil fuels, typically have a longer life expectancy and require less maintenance and downtime. “From a financial perspective, a solar plant, although requiring higher up-front costs, can last two times longer than a traditional plant, and one Mega Watt (MW) produced from renewable energy could result in an annual fuel cost savings of approximately $400,000 based on fuel costs today. If we were to install a 4 MW solar plant in Exuma, with battery storage, savings alone would be around $1.6m.”

BILLS TO AID CONSUMERS By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE Water and Sewerage Corporation’s (WSC) top executive yesterday said customers will enjoy “quite a few benefits” such as earlier leak detection through the utility’s switch to monthly billing. Robert Deal told the Exuma Business Outlook conference, organised by TCL Group, that the stateowned water provider is also moving to automated meter readings as part of the transition away from its historical quarterly billings. By employing more sophisticated technology, Water & Sewerage Corporation staff will be able to read meters more frequently and avoid the present labour intensive process where they physically have to exit their vehicles and access sometimes hard-to-reach

locations on a customer’s property. “We want to go to automatic readings where we can just drive by and pick up the meter readings,” Mr Deal said. Speaking on the switch to monthly billings, he said: “Of course, there are quite a bit of benefits for the customers as well, because customers will have a greater awareness of what’s happening with their water usage versus the quarterly bil. “One challenge we have with a lot of our customers, when they’re billed on a quarterly basis, is if they have a leak in their house or a toilet is running, by the time they find out that there’s a leak it’s been going on so long and there’s quite a dispute between them and us as to how we will resolve that. We believe when on a monthly basis they will find out much quicker and it will

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Bahamas kickstarts FTX assets sell-off FROM PAGE B1 “FTX Digital Markets also owns approximately $3m in ancillary assets, including a vehicle fleet for employees based in The Bahamas and office furniture and equipment. The joint provisional liquidators view the vehicle fleet as a depreciating asset and will shortly seek the sanction of the Supreme Court to proceed with an orderly realisation,” they said. The Bahamian liquidator trio have now, eight months later, executed on this promise. While some observers will view the several million dollars likely involved as relatively insignificant, given the estimated $8bn-$10bn hole in FTX’s accounts when it collapsed in November last year, the move nevertheless represents the first tangible asset sell-off in The Bahamas to recover monies due to investors and creditors. “It just started,” Mr Albury told Tribune Business of the sales process.

“We collected the first set of vehicles yesterday. We’re just evaluating the vehicles and probably will have some prices set for next week. We’ve got ten so far, and there’s a few more to come after that. “We’re working out the details, and inspecting the vehicles in the first instance. They’ve been sitting for a while. We’ve got to check them, and look at the tyres and batteries. We’ve got to clean them up, check the mileage and see what the fair market value will be. There’s a notion going around that there’s some sort of fire sale on this, but that’s not the case. “The liquidators have an obligation to do their due diligence, and try and fetch as much as they can for the creditors, and that’s what’s happening.” Mr Albury said the vehicles he received are mostly Toyotas, but also included “a couple of BMWs”. “I think we’ll possibly get between 15-20 vehicles,

Doctors to slash nation’s 213-bed shortage by 32%

somewhere in that range. There’s some Volkswagens, there’s a few Nissans. I think that’s about it. We’re doing the usual depreciation based on condition and mileage that anyone else, if a private individual came in, that’s what they would wish,” he added. The Auto Mall chief said that, while a small number of vehicles dated from 2019, most were “fairly current” models from 2021 and 2022. “There are a couple from 2023, which must be some stuff they took just weeks or a few months before the end,” Mr Albury added. “There’s been a lot of inquiries. I have no doubt the vehicles will move fairly quickly. I have no doubt we’ll dispose of them. I expect that we’ll dispose of at least 60 percent within 30 days. I think they will be a good deal for people who are interested out there.” He said Auto Mall has agreed a 30-day contract with the FTX Bahamian liquidators as part of a

rolling deal that will see the agreement renewed for another 30 days depending on performance. Mr Simms and his PwC colleagues signalled their plans for FTX Digital Markets’ vehicle fleet in their May 24, 2023, report to the Supreme Court, in which they wrote: “The joint provisional liquidators have completed the vehicle fleet appraisal process. Valuations have been obtained from two independent appraisers. “The joint provisional liquidators require the sanction of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas in order to commence selling assets. As substantially all of the motor vehicles, IT and office equipment are depreciating, the joint provisional liquidators are in the process of filing an application for sanction from the court in order to sell these assets. “The joint provisional liquidators invited offers from local dealerships and bulk equipment purchasers

in respect of these assets, and will advertise locally for sale to ensure an appropriate level of price discovery. The joint provisional liquidators continue to insure the company’s vehicle fleet and seek to recover a portion of the associated costs at the end of the insurance policy period as vehicles are sold and secured.” A recently-published book on FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, revealed that many of the crypto exchange’s expatriate employees abandoned their company-financed vehicles at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) when they fled The Bahamas in November 2022 following the company’s collapse. “Some meaningful percentage of the company’s fleet of cars had been abandoned, keys still inside them, in The Bahamas airport lot,” wrote Michael Lewis, author of ‘Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon’.

It remains to be seen whether John Ray, head of the 134 FTX US entities in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, will seek to thwart the Bahamian vehicle sell-off given that he has repeatedly intervened whenever the FTX Digital Markets liquidators attempt to make recoveries for the benefit of their estate. Thus far, some 45,878 individuals, 958 institutions and 86 trade creditors have submitted a collective 46,922 claims against FTX Digital Markets, but it still has to be determined which assets and clients belong in which estate - the Bahamian liquidation, or the Chapter 11 proceedings in Delaware. Once that is worked out, it will then be necessary to decide which assets belong to creditors and which to the exchange.

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both tourists and investors confidence that they can quickly access quality care and treatment should the unthinkable happen. “We recognise that there is a question that the guest and investor has. Should something happen to me while I’m in Exuma or the cays, and I want other options that is not the public hospital, where do I go?” Mr Deveaux said. “Should something happen we want to answer that question. That Doctors Hospital, as the provider of the network of healthcare delivery on this island, that we stand ready to lend you confidence. I think that capacity and confidence will ultimately extend to the resort [Sandals Emerald Bay] then, and capacity and confidence will ultimately extend to The Bahamas.” He added that the BISXlisted healthcare provider was seeking “to project the capacity” to deal with all medical emergencies that may arise in The Bahamas. And Doctors Hospital was now moving to “physically embed” itself in some of New Providence’s most upscale, wealthiest communities. “For New Providence, we’ve put in a couple of models that do this,” Mr Deveaux said. “We’re embedded in Albany, and are soon to be embedded in Lyford Cay. Our busiest clinic in New Providence is on the bottom floor of Baha Mar, where we sometimes manage 30 patients a day

and eight hospital transfers to the emergency room.” Mr Deveaux explained that Doctor Hospital is in the process of transforming its business model from one that was historically focused solely on tertiary and in-patient care, with its two hospitals and 72 beds frequently “stretched to capacity” by having to treat 40-45 patients at any one time. “We have embarked on a journey that will see Doctors Hospital Health Systems grow to over 180 beds and that this system, which traditionally has been thought of as primarily inpatient focused, will have more than 10 out-patient facilities spread throughout the length and breadth of The Bahamas.” The Doctors Hospital finance chief said that with a further “three executions planned for 2025, the healthcare provider’s total network could eventually extend to as many as 20 separate hospitals, clinics and other care locations. “Prior to COVID, Doctors Hospital was an organisation that generated on average $5m of revenue per month and, subsequent to that, five years later we have doubled in size,” Mr Deveaux said, referring to the company’s ambition to grow its top-line revenues to $120m per year or $10m per month. “Last year we spent [invested] over $6.5m. Five million dollars of that was on a new electronic health records system. What it

allows us to do, if you have been to Doctors Hospital before, you have a medical record now and we can pull up anything that happened to you in earlier visits with us. “We can create a unique record of individuals: What laboratory tests were ordered, what were the results. What referrals were made, and did you follow up?” Dr Charles Diggiss, Doctors Hospital’s president and chief executive, confirmed the BISX-listed healthcare provider’s expansion plans in its recently-released annual report for the year to endJanuary 2023. “Market entry into Georgetown, Exuma is imminent. We anticipate that the Doctors Hospital Exuma clinic will be open and ready to accept patients by the 2024 fiscal year’s second quarter [closed at end-July], while Doctors Hospitak Harbourside is expected to be available to accept patients by the 2024 fiscal year’s fourth quarter,” Dr Diggiss wrote. “We are in the process of formalising an arrangement of co-operation for services provision with the Royal Bahamas Police Force control room. Our own centralised control room model, featuring a real time emergency operations centre/ real time technical operations centre, will be housed at the renovated repurposed Samuel Evans building on Shirley Street.” This, Dr Diggiss added, would remove Doctors Hospital Health Systems (DHHS) centralised communications from the hospital proper into a more efficient centralised location, allowing for redundancy in regard to data access and power. This is expected to come to fruition by the 2023 fourth quarter. “This is an example of our commitment during fiscal year 2023 to create optimal patient care spaces within Doctors Hospital east and to move indirect care providers and other support services to contiguous and nearby locations.”

adding a total 44 beds, thus bringing it up to 69. The Doctors Hospital chief financial officer said the expansion of its Bahamas-wide healthcare network, and “aggressive” move into the out-patient care space via a series of clinics across the most populated islands, will give

DOCTORS HOSPITAL

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Friday, October 20, 2023, PAGE 5

Bahamasair targets 20% capacity growth FROM PAGE B1 passenger demand during next year’s peak travel months. Mr Cooper said the carrier’s main role is to ensure affordable access to The Bahamas’ for tourists after it was pointed out that Bahamasair’s $315 ticket prices for its new upcoming Fort Lauderdale to Exuma route contrasted sharply with American Airlines charging almost $3,000 to fly between the same island and Miami. Declining to describe the US airline’s pricing policies as “predatory”, he added that Bahamasair’s main role is to provide “price stabilisation” so that air connectivity between The Bahamas and US always remains open. And, with Bahamasair seeking to broaden its interline partnerships to include Latin American and Caribbean airlines, Mr Cooper urged Exuma resorts to “broaden your horizons a bit and start to think beyond” marketing solely to the US and Canadian

market by extending this effort to South America. “Exuma is one of the beauties of The Bahamas,” the Bahamasair chief said. “We are here to assist in this tourism landscape and stand as a vital bridge between this remarkable destination and the rest of the world.” With the national flag carrier already flying to Exuma two to three times’ per day via its turbo props, Mr Cooper confirmed airlift expansion by saying: “Starting on November 15, we will start to fly from Exuma to Fort Lauderdale with the intent that we will grow that route over a period of time. We’ll start out kind of marginal until we have traction.” Confirming that discussions on the imminent airlift expansion have already been held with the Exuma Chamber of Commerce, and other hotel and tourism partners, he added: “We think that it’s a benefit and mutual thing that will definitely benefit the airlift you need. We will start on Wednesday and Saturday as a rotation.”

Mr Cooper said the route’s launch will not only add the flights from Fort Lauderdale but also spark more service to Exuma from Nassau. He added that Bahamasair, over the summer, had discontinued the COVID legacy service into Rock Sound and diverted this to Georgetown because Exuma is “just too strong by itself”. “Eventually we expect this to grow. We’ll be adding some additional airlift and, once we do that, we expect it will be almost a daily situation going into Fort Lauderdale,” the Bahamasair chief said. “How are we going to be able to support the growth? “We recognised particularly this summer that we had a strong summer in the airline, and all of the flights were full going into Florida. Bahamians were travelling a lot as well as tourists. We also had load factors in and around the islands, including Exuma, where we could not fulfill all the demand.” This meant Bahamasair was unable to provide sufficient seat capacity and airlift for multiple festivals

that took place in the Family Islands. “We were not putting in the amount of seats they were demanding,” he said. “Bahamasair is about three weeks away from receiving another 737 jet to add to its arsenal and, before summer 2024, it is our intent to add an additional ATR-72 aircraft. We feel a lot more comfortable we will meet the demand next summer.” Acknowledging that airlift demand was set to increase further in 2024, as resorts such as the British Colonial re-open and new projects complete their construction, Mr Cooper explained that Bahamasair was a safety valve that can be relied in to expand services if all other carriers fail to do so. “Bahamsair is the safeguard for airlift coming into The Bahamas, so if no one else goes ahead and expands to meet the product, we will,” he added. The Bahamasair managing director added that the carrier was now forging so-called “inter-line” partnerships with other airlines

that do not fly to this nation so it can potentially bring their passengers here from hubs such as Miami. Such partnerships with the likes of Cayman Airways, Condor Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Azul are now being developed to open up Latin America and other tourism markets outside the US. As a result, Mr Cooper urged Exuma’s hotels and tourism industry to “think beyond what you’re doing presently. You should kind of broaden your horizons a bit and think beyond what it is you’re doing now”. Asked about the disparity between Bahamasair and American Airlines’ Exuma ticket prices, he said the affordability and pricing that the national flag carrier provides in opening up airlift and tourism markets is “sometimes taken for granted”. “I wouldn’t call it predatory pricing. It’s a bit hard to swallow,” the Bahamasair chief said of American Airlines’ costs as quoted. “You’ll never get that from Bahamasair. We’re not about price control. I call it

EXUMA’S TOURISM UP 21% AS UTILITIES ‘BEHIND 8-BALL’ FROM PAGE B1 sustainable way”, Mr Cooper reiterated that The Bahamas remains on track to hit the forecast eight million arrivals mark for the 2023 calendar year. “While we were talking about 20 percent growth, I want to tell you it’s likely to be above 40 percent growth,” the deputy prime minister added. “Exuma, constrained only by capacity, has increased growth in tourism by 11 percent over 2022 and 21 percent over 2019, so you’re holding your own.... “We want to create a mindset with tourism that

it’s not just about numbers and arrivals; it’s really the ticket for advancement and growth of our island and creation of wealth.” Mr Cooper said it was the “astronomical” increase in land values, sparked by the then-Emerald Bay resort’s opening and tourism growth, that gave him the assets to secure financing for the acquisition of now-BAF Financial. Pointing to the multiple entrepreneurial and job opportunities created by the tourism-driven expansion of Exuma’s economy, the deputy prime minister added that all residents need to do is “show

up”. He added: “We’re going places, and putting all the pieces in place.” Black Point is being targeted for a 5,000-6,000 foot runway, with Staniel Cay also set to get a new runway and fixed base operation (FBO). Mr Cooper, though, conceded the challenges with unreliable, expensive and disruptive service provided by all utility companies including Bahamas Power & Light (BPL), Water & Sewerage Corporation, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and Cable Bahamas/Aliv. “Frankly, we got caught behind the 8-ball with development of this island,”

he admitted. “We must continue to work diligently to resolve these issues. I ask my friends at BPL to rise to the occasion like the Water & Sewerage Corporation have done and put electricity on the back streets.” Acknowledging that the Government-owned utilities are all challenged in accessing the necessary resources, the deputy prime minister said: “We are also aware that the cost of doing business and the cost of living are too high. The Government is acutely aware of light bills you are getting.” Urging his constituents to build on Exuma’s current

economic foundations, he added: “Here’s what we have got. Full employment on Exuma. If you know somebody doesn’t have a job, give them my cell phone number. It’s that serious. We have a shortage of employees on the island of Exuma. If someone doesn’t have a job, it’s not because they don’t want one. Something else must be going on. “We have really got it all. God’s really been very good to us, and if we complain God’s going to charge us. We must fix the healthcare facilities on the island of Exuma. We need more workers, we need more entrepreneurs. We need

Developer: ‘Rumours Halkitis: We’re following law of my death greatly on publishing of contracts exaggerated’ FROM PAGE B2

FROM PAGE B1 Hooper’s Bay to a purchaser who, while he did not reveal their identity, was now planning to develop it into a hotel that will service and feed-off his marina project. “I have sold the Village at Hooper’s Bay to a gentleman who has turned right around and signed an agreement with us. He’s expanding it to be a hotel for the marina,” Mr Hurt said. He added that he wanted to revive the Hooper’s Bay Club spirit, and sense of community and local identity, and make his project an “anchor” to recapture this. The Hooper’s Bay developer had earlier suggested that the jury is still out on whether “the single family focus on the rent-to-own model” and vacation rentals can provide sustainable growth for Exuma as opposed to its previous reliance on longer-staying winter residents. Meanwhile, Bob Coughlin, co-founder and president of the non-profit Friends of Exuma, and the developer of Turtlegrass

Resort & Island Club, told the same conference that his project was “rolling but it will take two to three years to get online”. Speaking ahead of the property’s official unveiling and brand launch today, he added that Turtlegrass had purposely elected to obtain all the necessary Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) and other government agency approvals rather than follow other developers who “announce before they do what they should be doing”. He added that “a lot of bottom up work” is presently underway, with a roll-on/roll-off facility and dock presently under construction on Big Sampson Cay. He added that a prototype cottage should be completed by year-end 2024, and Turtlegrass is also considering a beach club and meeting facility that can cater to events featuring 100 persons. “It’s going to take two to three years to come online, but we’re moving,” Mr Coughlin said.

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understands the board was selected recently and Jerome Gomez , former PLP senator and chartered accountant has been selected as the chairman of the Procurement Board and Simon Wilson, Financial Secretary, serves on the board as well. Mr Pintard said the Davis administration removed the chief procurement officer when they came to power and waited two years to appoint a Procurement Board. He said: “After two years of being in office, Minister Halkitis seems to concede that the government is breaking the law because, according to him, they needed time to appoint a chief procurement officer and appoint a procurement board. Is he the only Bahamian who doesn’t realize that the government has someone performing that job - that the press routinely interviews the acting Chief

Procurement Officer who the PLP met with that designation when they came to office. A capable and experienced public servant is in that role and has been in that role for over two years! “As for the Procurement Board, the PLP met in place persons already designated for that board - including a chairperson. They decided to cancel those appointments and failed for almost two years to appoint a new Board. We have come to understand from our sources in government that a new Board was just appointed within the last few months.” He questioned how the Davis administration has been able to legally award large contracts if the law requires all large bids to go before the Procurement Board and it was not in place until recently. He said: “So we must ask: With the procurement acts of 2021 and 2023 both requiring by law a Procurement Board to approve large projects, how has the

NOTICE IN THE ESTATE OF MURIEL LUNN., late of the settlement of No.18 Bay Berry Drive, Imperial Park Subdivision in the Eastern District of the Island of New Providence , in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Deceased. NOTICE is hereby given that all persons having any claims against the above-named Estate are required, on or before the 30th day of November, A.D. 2023 to send their names and addresses, and particulars of their debts or claims, to the undersigned, and if so required by notice in writing from the undersigned, to come in and prove such debts or claims, or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution AND all persons indebted to the said Estate are asked to pay their respective debts to the undersigned at once. AND NOTICE is hereby also given that at the expiration of the mentioned above, the assets of the late MURIEL LUNN will be distributed among the persons entitled thereto having regard only to the claims of which the Executors shall then have had notice. AND NOTICE is hereby given that all persons indebted to the said Estate are requested to make full settlement on or before the date hereinbefore mentioned. Dated this 19th day of October, A.D., 2023. c/o PYFROM & CO Attorneys for the Executor, No.259 Shirley Street, P.O. Box N 8958, Nassau, N.P., Bahamas

PLP legally been able to award the many multi-million dollar projects? Except for express emergencies, the law requires all bids of a certain dollar value to go to an appointed Procurement Board. If this board was not in place until recently, how were these bids approved and the contracts awarded?” Mr Pintard said publishing contracts within 60 days is “not a difficult undertaking” and has been a “common practice for decades and decades for government agencies to publish information in newspapers”. He accused the Davis administration of having “no desire of intention” to disclose contracts as they are “too embarrassed by the millions of dollars of contracts they have doled out to their political cronies and hangers-on”. He said: “Minister Halkitis and his colleagues must stop their lawlessness. They cannot for example provide one good reason as to why the details of the

price stability so the affordability of coming to The Bahamas is always there. “The whole ecosystem of tourism works. You need to get the persons there, and the hotels get their piece of the pie, the tourists get their piece of the pie. If the cost to access is too high, you break the equilibrium you are looking for. That’s introductory pricing, but prices will be in line with pricing for other destinations.” Mr Cooper said Bahamasair is also working with a third-party provider, EveryMundo, to provide “more seamless interaction” for its passengers when it comes to connecting with other airlines, resorts and tourism partners. Meanwhile, Sarah Swainson, Maker’s Air’s head of private charters and business development, told the same conference that the carrier - which acquired Staniel Air earlier this year - will offer direct service into Stella Maris, Long Island, beginning on December 14 this year. you to rise to the occasion. We need more leaders. The harvest in Exuma is plenty, the labourers not so plenty. We have got to fix this. We need all leaders to rise to the occasion to help us drive the growth we are seeing.” Mr Cooper also urged residents to “protect the goose that laid the golden egg” in terms of Exuma’s land and sea environment, given that it was the main draw for visitors, some 60 percent of whom said sustainable tourism was important to them. He also pledged to ensure that 30 percent of the island will remain as ‘green space’. contracts they are awarding are not published in the newspapers within 60 days as the law requires. This is not a difficult undertaking. It is common practice for decades and decades for government agencies to publish information in the newspapers. There is no special training required. Nor do the agencies have to produce new information on these public contracts that they do not already have. This Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues simply have no desire or intention to get it done. “By now the public understands: The PLP has no use for this or any law that requires accountability and transparency. In our view, they are clearly too embarrassed by the millions of dollars of contracts they have doled out to their political cronies and hangers-on. And they will find every conceivable excuse to hide the information they do not want the public to see. But the Bahamian people have already caught on to their bluffs and their games. And the public is growing eager to see the backs of them.”

NOTICE In the Estate of CAROIL BERNICE BULLARD late of #36A 3rd Street, Coconut Grove in the Southern District of the Island of New Providence one of the Islands of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, deceased. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons having any claim against the above named Estate are required on or before the 20th day of November, 2023 to send their names and addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the undersigned and if so required by notice in writing from the undersigned to come in and prove such debts and claims or in default thereof they will be excluded from the benefits of any distributions made before such debts are proved AND all persons indebted to the said Estate are asked to pay their respective debts to the undersigned. HAILSHAMS LEGAL ASSOCIATES Counsel and Attorneys at Law RENALDO HOUSE 10 Queen’s Highway Palmetto Point, Eleuthera, Bahamas P. O. Box SS 5062, Nassau, Bahamas Attorneys for the Administrators of the above Estate Tel: 242-332-0470 email: hailshams@1stcounsel.com

PAGE 6, Friday, October 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Water Corp’s monthly bills to aid consumers FROM PAGE B3 be = a better perspective for both of us.” The Water & Sewerage Corporation is now preparing to battle leakages from its Family Island infrastructure following success over the past decade in slashing such losses, known as non-revenue water, in New Providence. Mr Deal added: “One of the key or principal areas

we’re going to start is here in Exuma. We also want to bring the approximately 605 customers in these projects that we’re completing online. That’s about 425 in Little Exuma, another 130 in Barre Terre and about 50 in Black Point, and so that’s going to increase our customer base here and on the Exumass by about 31 percent. “Also critical to us, we’re going to be using the

network analysis findings to determine the optimum climate resilient solutions to best improve the water supply throughout mainland Exuma. “We know that when we add Little Exuma that’s going to put additional pressure on our Georgetown desalination plant, and so we have to ensure that we have sufficient production capacity, sufficient storage capacity, of course,

pumping capacity and we work very closely with BPL to ensure that we have, in the case of any incident, sufficient stand-by power capacity and generation capacity.” The Water & Sewerage Corporation has not enjoyed a tariff increase since 1999, almost a quarter-of-a-century ago, with costs to the consumer being “heavily subsidised”. The utility’s water purchases

on Exuma were “approximately $1.2m” for the period to end-September 2023. Mr Deal said: “All of our sales in Exuma up to the first nine months of the year are about $900,000, so you can see the level of subsidisation required. One major issue that the corporation is addressing critically in New Providence, but have they expand into the Family Islands as well, it is always

a question of non-revenue water. “That’s water that is produced and put into the system, but not billed, and that can be due to stuck meters, under registration, connections that are not properly metered and, of course, leaks and so that’s a critical item that we are addressing.”

THOUSANDS OF REMOTE IT WORKERS SENT WAGES TO NORTH KOREA TO HELP FUND WEAPONS PROGRAM, FBI SAYS By JIM SALTER Associated Press THOUSANDS of information technology workers contracting with U.S. companies have for years secretly sent millions of dollars of their wages to North Korea for use in its ballistic missile program, FBI and Department of Justice officials said. The Justice Department said Wednesday that IT workers dispatched and contracted by North Korea to work remotely with companies in St. Louis and elsewhere in the U.S. have been using false identities to get the jobs. The money they earned was funneled to the North Korean weapons program, FBI leaders

said at a news conference in St. Louis. Court documents allege that North Korea's government dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers to live primarily in China and Russia with the goal of deceiving businesses from the U.S. and elsewhere into hiring them as freelance remote employees. The workers used various techniques to make it look like they were working in the U.S., including paying Americans to use their home Wi-Fi connections, said Jay Greenberg, special agent in charge of the St. Louis FBI office. Greenberg said any company that hired freelance IT workers "more than likely" hired someone participating

in the scheme. An FBI spokeswoman said Thursday that the North Koreans contracted with companies across the U.S. and in some other countries. "We can tell you that there are thousands of North Korea IT workers that are part of this," spokeswoman Rebecca Wu said. Federal authorities announced the seizure of $1.5 million and 17 domain names as part of the investigation, which is ongoing. FBI officials said the scheme is so prevalent that companies must be extra vigilant in verifying whom they are hiring, including requiring interviewees to at least be seen via video.

"At a minimum, the FBI recommends that employers take additional proactive steps with remote IT workers to make it harder for bad actors to hide their identities," Greenberg said in a news release. The IT workers generated millions of dollars a year in their wages to benefit North Korea's weapons programs. In some instances, the North Korean workers also infiltrated computer networks and stole information from the companies that hired them, the Justice Department said. They also maintained access for future hacking and extortion schemes, the agency said.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that MICHAEL EUGENE of Carmichael Road, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of October, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that MIKENDY NOEL PAUL of Water Street, Big Pond, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of October, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

FBI Special Agent In Charge Jay Greenberg, right, speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s St. Louis field office in downtown St. Louis. Thousands of information technology workers contracting with U.S. companies have for years secretly sent millions of dollars of their wages to North Korea for use in its ballistic missile program, FBI and Department of Justice officials said. Photo:Christine Tannous/AP Officials didn't name the companies that unknowingly hired North Korean workers, say when the practice began, or elaborate on how investigators became aware of it. But federal authorities have been aware of the scheme for some time. In May 2022, the State Department, Department of the Treasury, and the FBI issued an advisory warning of attempts by North Koreans "to obtain employment while posing as non-North Korean nationals." The advisory noted that in recent years, the regime of Kim Jong Un "has placed increased focus on education and training" in IT-related subjects. John Hultquist, the head of threat intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Mandiant, said North Korea's use of IT freelancers to help fund the weapons program has been in play for more than a decade, but the effort got a boost from the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think the post-COVID world has created a lot more opportunity for them because freelancing and remote hiring are a far more natural part of the business than they were in the past," Hultquist said. North Korea also uses workers in other fields to funnel money back for the weapons program, Hultquist said, but higher pay for tech workers provides a more lucrative resource. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are high as North Korea has test-fired more than 100 missiles since the start of 2022 and the U.S. has expanded its military exercises with its Asian allies, in tit-for-tat responses. The Justice Department in recent years has sought to expose and disrupt a broad variety of criminal schemes aimed at bolstering the North Korean regime,

including its nuclear weapons program. In 2016, for instance, four Chinese nationals and a trading company were charged in the U.S. with using front companies to evade sanctions targeting North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistics initiatives. Two years ago, the Justice Department charged three North Korean computer programmers and members of the government's military intelligence agency in a broad range of global hacks that officials say were carried out at the behest of the regime. Law enforcement officials said at the time that the prosecution highlighted the profit-driven motive behind North Korea's criminal hacking, a contrast from other adversarial nations like Russia, China and Iran that are generally more interested in espionage, intellectual property theft or even disrupting democracy. In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an exponential increase in production of nuclear weapons and for his country to play a larger role in a coalition of nations confronting the United States in a "new Cold War," state media said. In February, United Nations experts said that North Korean hackers working for the government stole record-breaking virtual assets last year estimated to be worth between $630 million and more than $1 billion. The panel of experts said in a report that the hackers used increasingly sophisticated techniques to gain access to digital networks involved in cyberfinance, and to steal information that could be useful in North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs from governments, individuals and companies.

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NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that EDNA TALMAE, Jackson Suite, Eleuthera, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 20th day of October 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

PAGE 8, Friday, October 20, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Feds OK natural gas pipeline expansion in Pacific Northwest over environmentalist protests By CLAIRE RUSH Associated Press FEDERAL regulators on Thursday approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest over the protest of environmental groups and top officials in West Coast states, who said it goes against the region's plans to address climate change and could pose a wildfire risk. The project, known as GTN Xpress, aims to expand the capacity of the Gas Transmission Northwest pipeline, which runs through Idaho, Washington and Oregon, by about 150 million cubic feet (4.2 million cubic meters) of natural gas per day. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave it the green light in a vote on Thursday. TC Energy plans to modify three compressor stations along the pipeline — in Kootenai County, Idaho; Walla Walla County, Washington; and Sherman County, Oregon. Compressor stations help maintain

TC Energy’s Keystone pipeline facility is seen in Hardisty, Alberta, on Nov. 6, 2015. Federal regulators on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline owned by TC Energy in the Pacific Northwest over the protest of environmental groups and top West Coast officials. The pipeline project, known as GTN Xpress, belongs to TC Energy of Calgary, Canada — the same company behind the now-abandoned Keystone XL crude oil pipeline. Photo:Jeff McIntosh/AP

the pressure and flow of gas over long distances in a pipeline. Environmental groups criticized the decision. In a statement, Audrey Leonard, staff attorney for environmental nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper, said it represented a "rubber stamp of unnecessary fracked gas in the Northwest" and accused the energy agency of failing to listen to U.S. senators, governors, state attorneys general, tribes and members of the public. Leonard said potential spills and explosions on the pipeline, which was built in the 1960s, would not only harm the environment but also present a heightened wildfire risk in the arid regions it passes through. "An explosion of that level in eastern Washington or eastern Oregon would be catastrophic," she said. Leonard said Columbia Riverkeeper will appeal the federal regulators' decision and submit a petition for a rehearing. The pipeline belongs to TC Energy of

members have supported the project and said that imposing other states' climate policies would be "misguided." After the vote, Washington's Democratic governor and California's Democratic attorney general condemned the decision. And the Democratic U.S. Senators from Washington and Oregon described the project as "incompatible with our climate laws" in a letter to the energy agency. "GTN Xpress represents a significant expansion of methane gas infrastructure at a time when California, Oregon, and Washington are moving away from fossil fuels," the senators said. The attorneys general of the three states, citing the energy agency's draft environmental impact

bitumen oil in Kansas last December. The 1,377-mile (2,216-kilometer) pipeline runs from the Canadian border through a corner of Idaho and into Washington state and Oregon, connecting with a pipeline going into California. Oregon, along with Washington and California, have passed laws requiring utilities to transition to 100% clean electricity sources by 2040 and 2045, respectively. Idaho's Republican governor and Congress

Calgary, Canada — the same company behind the now-abandoned Keystone XL crude oil pipeline. The company said the project is necessary to meet consumer demand and welcomed the decision in an emailed statement. Environmentalists and officials opposed to the project have expressed concern about TC Energy's safety record. Its Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline exploded in Strasburg, Virginia, in July and its existing Keystone pipeline spilled nearly 600,000 gallons of

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-DAY FORECAST

ORLANDO

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 67° F/19° C

TAMPA

TODAY

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

UV INDEX TODAY

An a.m. t-storm; otherwise, cloudy

Partly cloudy

Mostly sunny and nice

Nice with sunshine

Clearing

A few afternoon showers; breezy

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

High: 81°

Low: 73°

High: 85° Low: 67°

High: 85° Low: 72°

High: 83° Low: 73°

High: 85° Low: 75°

AccuWeather RealFeel

88° F

75° F

91°-68° F

92°-74° F

86°-75° F

87°-74° F

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 72° F/22° C

ABACO

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 76° F/24° C

4-8 knots

WEST PALM BEACH High: 85° F/29° C Low: 67° F/19° C

4-8 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 69° F/21° C

W S

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 69° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 70° F/21° C

6-12 knots

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

12:25 p.m. -----

3.2 -----

5:53 a.m. 7:02 p.m.

0.7 0.9

ALMANAC

Saturday

12:48 a.m. 1:26 p.m.

2.4 3.2

6:52 a.m. 8:05 p.m.

0.8 1.0

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 84° F/29° C Low .................................................... 77° F/25° C Normal high ....................................... 84° F/29° C Normal low ........................................ 73° F/23° C Last year’s high .................................. 86° F/30° C Last year’s low ................................... 72° F/22° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................ 47.20” Normal year to date ................................... 32.78”

Sunday

1:55 a.m. 2:33 p.m.

2.5 3.1

8:01 a.m. 9:11 p.m.

0.8 0.9

Monday

3:07 a.m. 3:39 p.m.

2.6 3.2

9:14 a.m. 0.8 10:13 p.m. 0.7

Tuesday

4:15 a.m. 4:42 p.m.

2.8 3.2

10:26 a.m. 0.7 11:09 p.m. 0.4

Wednesday 5:17 a.m. 5:40 p.m.

3.1 3.3

11:31 a.m. 0.4 ---------

Thursday

3.3 3.3

12:01 a.m. 0.2 12:30 p.m. 0.2

KEY WEST

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 73° F/23° C

6:12 a.m. 6:33 p.m.

SUN AND MOON Sunrise Sunset

7:10 a.m. Moonrise 6:39 p.m. Moonset

12:51 p.m. 11:20 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Oct. 21

Oct. 28

Nov. 5

Nov. 13

CAT ISLAND

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 75° F/24° C

6-12 knots

4-8 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 78° F/26° C

N W

TIDES FOR NASSAU High

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

statement for the project, said it would result in more than 3.47 million metric tons of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions per year for at least the next three decades. The agency's final environmental assessment issued last November revised that number downward by roughly half in calculations contested by environmental groups. This is partly because some of the project's gas would be delivered to Tourmaline, a Canadian natural gas producer. The assessment said it wasn't clear what the end use of the gas delivered to Tourmaline would be, leading it to conclude that the company's downstream emissions — those stemming from consumers — weren't "reasonably foreseeable."

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

W S

LONG ISLAND

TRACKING MAP

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 80° F/27° C

6-12 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 86° F/30° C Low: 82° F/28° C

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 89° F/32° C Low: 80° F/27° C

6-12 knots

4-8 knots

MARINE FORECAST ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS N at 4-8 Knots WNW at 8-16 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots NNW at 7-14 Knots E at 4-8 Knots NW at 7-14 Knots S at 6-12 Knots NW at 6-12 Knots NE at 4-8 Knots NW at 7-14 Knots N at 4-8 Knots WNW at 8-16 Knots SW at 4-8 Knots NW at 7-14 Knots SW at 4-8 Knots NW at 6-12 Knots SW at 4-8 Knots NW at 7-14 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots WNW at 6-12 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots NW at 6-12 Knots SW at 6-12 Knots NW at 6-12 Knots E at 6-12 Knots NW at 7-14 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-2 Feet 0-1 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 2-4 Feet 0-1 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet

VISIBILITY 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 4 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 81° F 81° F 83° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 84° F 83° F 83° F 83° F