UK Gov't Rushes to Implement EU Oil Exploration Legislation

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

GOVERNMENT RUSHES TO IMPLEMENT EUROPEAN LEGISLATION ON OIL
EXPLORATION BUT MEASURES STILL IGNORE INTENT OF THE LAW

UK, 4 Mar 98 - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) today
closed the consultation period on its draft Environmental Impact
Assessment Regulations for offshore oil and gas activity. It
aims to implement the European legislation before the
European Union rules on a Greenpeace challenge about breach of
the legislation.

Greenpeace, however, criticised the draft regulations as
too weak and singled out the decision to leave environmental
protection with the DTI as the equivalent of putting "vampires
in charge of the blood bank."


The long running saga relates to the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) regulations enshrined in European law,
which the UK Government has been in breach of since 1988. The
regulations require that a full assessment is carried out into
the impact oil production will have on the environment,
including the climate. In March 1997 Greenpeace lodged
an official complaint with the EU about the UK's failure
to implement EIA regulations in relation to oil exploration in
the ocean wilderness known as the Atlantic Frontier,
West of the Shetlands.


The environmental pressure group has highlighted three main
criticisms in its response to the UK's draft regulations.


The first is that the DTI, a department established to promote
and assist industry, will be in charge of regulating the
industry's environmental impact. The second is that the
regulations will not be applied to the exploration stages of oil
development. Infrastructure building, seismic testing and
appraisal drilling are all exempt from having full
environmental impact assessments despite the potential
impact these activities have.


The third is that the regulations do not acknowledge or
assess the impacts of multiple developments in one region.


Greenpeace Oil Campaigner Sarah North said "The UK Government
wants to have its cake and eat it. It wants to avoid censure
from the EU about its failure to care for the environment but at
the same time to carry on abusing it through needless and ill-
regulated oil exploration. Its time for Mr Blair
to have a long hard look at his environmental commitment.


If he cares about major global issues like protecting our oceans
he will impose thorough regulations on the rush
for new oil. If he cares about climate change he will stop the
oil exploration entirely, we not only don't need the
oil but can't afford to burn it."


Greenpeace is opposing new oil exploration throughout the world
on the grounds that there is already more fossil
fuels in reserve than can be burnt without pushing climate
change beyond ecologically safe limits.


Notes to correspondents: Greenpeace has submitted its response
to the draft regulations as part of a joint paper from
the Oil and Gas Consortium an umbrella group of environmental
organisations.


The Government is aiming to implement the regulations on
April 1st 1988.


Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org