Any oil company wishing to tap into the oil reserves off the coast of Barbados has to comply with some strict guidelines the Government is laying down. In introducing the draft National Energy Policy to the House of Assembly, Minister of Energy and the Environment, Elizabeth Thompson, stated that a number of oil companies, including the big multinationals, smaller operations and some newcomers, had expressed an interest in getting involved in Barbados' oil industry. Thompson stated that these companies had to make sure they trained and educated Barbadians at all levels of the industry, and locals should also be given an opportunity to invest in these firms.