Environment Report 2013

ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2013

3. Key Environmental Challenges The focus and rationale for environmental management of offshore oil and gas operations has changed significantly over the last few years, particularly with respect to the marine environment. The primary drivers for change are: • Government objectives and policies – the UK Government and the devolved administrations have established a vision for the marine environment of “clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas”. This vision is being delivered through the Marine Acts and a range of measures, including the establishment of a network of Marine Protected Areas and Marine Planning processes. These measures introduce several concepts that are new to the industry, such as ‘the ecosystem approach’ 8 and ‘cumulative and in combination effects’ 9 , which may present a challenge during implementation. • The European Commission and Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) – the European Commission continues to refine existing legislation and to introduce new requirements. There are a number of directives that have the potential to change environmental management practices, for example, Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental Liability; Marine Strategy Framework; and Offshore Safety and Emissions Trading. Similarly, OSPAR continues its focus on the reduction of discharges to the marine environment and the management of decommissioning activities. • Stakeholder involvement – many stakeholder groups have a keen interest in the environment and its protection. These include conservation focused groups, the media and other users of the marine environment. The common requirement for all stakeholders is that the industry is transparent and provides information on its activities. The UK oil and gas industry has made significant improvements in stakeholder engagement but there can be a tension where information must remain confidential for commercial reasons. This report is an example of this trend towards greater transparency. • Resource limitations for waste disposal – the onshore disposal of wastes, particularly mixed hazardous wastes, could be a significant issue in the future as resources, such as landfill, become limited in capacity. Although the industry applies the waste hierarchy (prevent, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose) there remain some wastes that cannot be reused or recycled and must be treated and disposed of. • Major incidents – the occurrence of a major incident requires the whole industry to respond by thoroughly examining practices and procedures to reduce the potential for a similar event. In response to the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, the UK industry undertook a major review of drilling practices and oil spill response strategies. Enhancements to existing arrangements were identified and these are now being implemented. The challenge is to ensure that robust and sustainable practices and procedures are maintained.

8 The ‘ecosystem approach’ is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use. 9 ‘Cumulative and in combination effects’ refer to the potential for multiple developments in the same area to have an impact on the environment that might be greater than the sum of the effects of the individual developments.

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