John Major's Personal Intervention on Oil Spill Demanded

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-Cc:      The Greenbase (Green2:Green2:Gnl:Main)
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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> GREENPEACE DEMANDS JOHN MAJOR'S PERSONAL INTERVENTION ON
SEA EMPRESS OIL SPILL
 
LONDON, 21 February 1996 (GP) Greenpeace today wrote to UK
Prime Minister John Major demanding that he makes a personal
intervention on the huge oil spill from the Sea Empress in
Wales and ensures that Texaco takes full responsibility for
this accident.
 
Chris Rose, Acting Executive Director of Greenpeace UK stated
in his letter (attached) "Your silence to date suggests
indifference to these issues. Greenpeace demands you make your
personal position clear to the people of Britain, and that you
explain how you will now go much further than the patently

ineffective measures introduced after the Braer disaster to
safeguard the environment from oil."
 
In the letter Greenpeace pointed out that major oil disasters
such as the Sea Empress, Braer and Torrey Canyon are
inevitable so long as Britain continues to rely so heavily on
oil. 
 
The only way to prevent such accidents was for the Prime
Minister to commit to the phase out of oil and the
introduction of renewable energy.
 
When Greenpeace wrote to John Major after the Braer disaster
stating the same points, he said that Greenpeace was "over-
reacting". In today's letter Greenpeace asked Major "How many
more disasters will it take before you are convinced?"
 
With the exception of the United States, oil companies
currently enjoy limited liability for oil spills.  This means
there is a financial upper limit on how much they pay for the
cleanup and compensation for spills, leaving Governments and
the taxpayer to foot the rest of the bill.  In the case of the
Sea Empress spill, the owner of the oil itself,  Texaco,  will
not have to face the enormous cleanup costs and fines imposed
on Exxon in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster.  This
regime is currently being felt by Shetland islanders who are
unlikely to be paid full compensation. 
 
This means that oil companies can balance the high cost of
paying for a cleanup against the lesser expense of operating
at low standards and risking accidents, as has been seen with
both the Braer and the Sea Empress.
 
Greenpeace called on John Major to ensure that oil companies -
such as Texaco -take full responsibility and are fully liable
for such spills as the Sea Empress. Oil companies - and not
the taxpayer - should foot the bill for the clean up
operations after oil spills.
          
Greenpeace International campaigner Paul Horsman said from
Wales today:  "At a time where we should be reducing our
consumption of oil, a regime of unlimited liability would
force the oil industry to pay the cost of running their
operation at the highest standards, instead of hiding behind
flags of convenience and risking more accidents such as that
at Milford Haven."    
 
For information:  Paul Horsman in Wales ++31 65 323 5057 
or Cindy Baxter in London ++44 171 833 0600

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