CHAIRMAN of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), Professor Winston Davidson, says the agency will have the results of the scientific tests done on samples of fuel from service stations across the island ready today — a day before the December 30 extension which it had asked the energy ministry for last week.

“We are working feverishly and by 2:00 pm we will be ready,” he told the

Jamaica Observer late yesterday. So far, 45 samples have been tested, the chairman disclosed.

Meanwhile, a source at the BSJ also told the

Observer that reports of the bureau not having the necessary resources to carry out some of the tests, were “not necessarily true”, pointing out that the agency is working in partnership with Petrojam.

“Some of the tests we are unable to do, but the ones that we are unable to [do], Petrojam will do,” the source said.

Energy and Mining Minister Phillip Paulwell ordered the tests a week ago after meeting with industry stakeholders about reports that numerous motorists had been sold contaminated gas, which caused extensive damage to their vehicles. Paulwell had given a 24-hour deadline for the findings on the samples to be presented to him.

He also tasked junior minister Julian Robinson with leading a team of regulators and industry stakeholders to look into the incident, examine the protocols and regulations governing the petroleum trade — including the importation, transportation and quality control of the product — and to make recommendations for effective monitoring and enforcement. The report from that investigation is due today.

Paulwell has indicated that changes will be made to the regulatory system governing the sector so that imported petroleum products would undergo the same level of testing as fuel from Petrojam. He warned that criminal charges would be brought against those found guilty of illegal importation of fuel. The minister said there were indications that non-established importers had been bypassing the Jamaica Customs Department, and that even fisherfolk could be involved in the back-door trade.

Head of the Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA) Leonard Green, who also sits on the BSJ’s Standards Council, told the

Observer last week that it was difficult to pinpoint the source of the bad gas as marketing companies do not only buy from Petrojam since they are free to import fuel.

“Even if the sites are fingered for selling bad gas it would not be as a result, in many instances, of the dealers’ doing,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) caretaker for St Thomas Eastern, Delano Seiveright, yesterday urged the energy ministry, the Consumer Affairs Commission, and the BSJ to assist motorists in the parish who have been affected by the sale of the bad gasolene.

In a press release, Seiveright said that St Thomas, from all appearances, is among the worst-affected parishes, with countless motorists riddled with engine troubles.

He said that motorists in the parish needed “unambiguous guidance and a mechanism for compensation”, after experiencing various car problems attributed to the bad gasolene.

“As it stands now, motorists face mounting car repair bills, and no clear resolution for compensation for a problem that they had absolutely nothing to do with. Between the Government and marketing companies, a method needs to be worked out to ensure that consumers are compensated for damage to their vehicles at the very least,” he said.

He went on to state that many St Thomas motorists were forced to take their vehicles to Kingston for specialist attention by mechanics, costing many in excess of $50,000.

He also pointed out that many people are in a state of absolute distress, given the already difficult economic times and the loss of income and productivity in a parish that “ranks as the poorest in Jamaica”.