Oil companies Exxon Mobil , Hess , and Total , a subsidiary of Chinese national Total , are being challenged in court by campaigners who claim that their plans to drill off the coast of Guyana are illegal as the government failed to require the companies to obtain the necessary environmental permits . The lawsuit is being financed through crowdfunding site CrowdJustice . Janki lodged an appeal earlier this month after the first attempt to quash the granting of the licences was rejected by a judge. Offshore drilling licences in the Caribbean are highly sought - after , with analysts estimating that 350,000 to 400,000 barrels of oil could be produced each day by 2026 . Exxon has estimated this figure to be 500,000 barrels per day .
Oil companies Exxon Mobil , Hess , and Total , a subsidiary of Chinese national Total , are being challenged in court by campaigners who claim that their plans to drill off the coast of Guyana are illegal as the government failed to require the companies to obtain the necessary environmental permits . The lawsuit is being financed through crowdfunding site CrowdJustice . Offshore drilling licences in the Caribbean are highly sought - after , with analysts estimating that 350,000 to 400,000 barrels of oil could be produced each day by 2026 . Exxon has estimated this figure to be 500,000 barrels per day .