Strasbourg, 13/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - Given the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform which, in April 2010, caused an oil slick without precedent in the Gulf of Mexico, the European Parliament would like to make permits for operating new oil or gas fields in the EU's territorial waters subject to the presentation by operators of emergency plans, and that operators should have sufficient financial means to repair any damage caused to the environment.
The Parliament adopted a resolution by 602 votes to 64 and 13 abstentions, on Tuesday 13 September during plenary session in Strasbourg on the basis of the report by Vicky Ford (ECR, UK), in response to the working paper presented by the Commission in October 2010 (see EUROPE 10235), preceding its legislative draft promised for the autumn. It demands as a precondition that licences for any new drilling at sea should be subject to the presentation by oil and gas extraction companies of specific emergency planning assessing the dangers and potential sources of pollution and the consequences of such pollution, and announcing a strategy for accident response. Operations would not begin until the plan is approved by the national authorities.
The resolution also provides for the introduction of financial responsibility compelling oil and gas companies to prove during authorisation procedure that they have sufficient financial means to repair any damage caused to the environment because of their activity. MEPs also suggest that the scope of the polluter-pays principle be extended to cover all damage caused to maritime waters and to biodiversity.
In the event of accident, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) may coordinate intervention, but the Parliament has discarded the idea of a European regulator for offshore operations which, it says, does not give sufficient added value to warrant the use of regulatory resources of relevant national authorities.
Finally, MEPs propose that those working in the offshore extraction sector should have the possibility of notifying any danger or failure with regards safety, and that they should be able to remain anonymous to prevent against any harassment. (E.H./transl.jl)