The UK Government is in the dock today in a legal hearing that challenges the issuing of North Sea oil and gas licences. The grounds of the claim by Oceana UK are that under the previous Conservative government, the Secretary of State “Failed to consider the impact of oil and gas industry accidents (including oil spills and discharges) on MPAs and their conservation features.”
It also argues that the ‘Appropriate Assessments’ that informed the decision largely ignored advice from independent government experts (JNCC and Natural England) about the potential effects on sensitive Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
More than a third of the licences overlap with MPAs, which were established to protect habitats and species that are essential for ocean health.
Read more information in the Oceana UK press release.
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