Members of Congress urge investigation into Okavango oil exploration
National Geographic reporting spurs a bipartisan call for “a thorough and coordinated investigation” by federal agencies.
Two members of the United States Congress have sent a plea to the secretary of state, the attorney general, and other top officials urging a “thorough and coordinated investigation” into concerns raised by a series of National Geographic articles about oil and gas exploration in southern Africa’s spectacular and delicate Okavango region.
The Canadian-based oil company Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) has licenses to explore in a 13,200-square-mile area in Namibia and Botswana, including part of the vital watershed of the Okavango Delta, one of the largest inland deltas in the world. The delta’s ecosystem is a UNESCO-protected World Heritage site. Its watershed supports more than a million people and bountiful wildlife, from lions, giraffes, and slaty
