Health, Safety, Social and Environment Index

Consultations   Oil & Gas UK Evidence Review   Key Environmental Issues NORM Scale Drill Cuttings Produced Water Emissions Marine Noise Waste Disposal   Environmental Emissions Monitoring System   Oil & Gas UK Monitoring Programme   Oil & Gas UK Environmental Legislation Website   UK Benthos Database   Reports/Documents of Interest   Archived Reports UKOOA Environment Report 2000 UKOOA Environment Report 1999 UKOOA Environment Report 1998 Search for Press Releases and Briefings regarding environmental issues Search for Oil & Gas UK Guidelines on Environmental Issues Environment Introduction Modern society is dependent on oil and natural gas, and will remain so for decades to come. Finding and producing oil and gas is an industrial process that, inevitably, has an impact on the environment. The oil and gas industry takes its responsibility towards the environment very seriously and is working with Government and stakeholders to ensure that the environmental footprint we leave is as small as possible. To help with this task Oil & Gas UK has established a strategic environmental objective which will guide the industry’s environmental management process, which is to: “Understand and manage environmental risks to achieve demonstrable no harm levels by 2020” This means that the industry will undertake the work necessary to find out about our impacts and take action where we need to, so that by 2020 we can show to stakeholder satisfaction that our operations are not harming the environment. Although emissions to the atmosphere and the disposal of wastes onshore are important environmentally, a large part of the management undertaken by the industry concerns the marine environment. We have a good understanding of the major impacts to the marine environment and have put in place the appropriate mitigation measures. The challenge now is to identify and manage potential low level or sub-lethal impacts that may not be easy to quantify, for example noise in the marine environment. Overall, we have a good grasp of the impacts of our industry and we are committed to managing these impacts as effectively as possible. Oil & Gas UK's position on: Marine Bill Sustainability of an Extractive Industry The UK oil and gas industry carries out its activity on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) in a responsible fashion; that is, by operating with regard for the environment, and with other stakeholders. This helps to ensure that our operations have minimum environmental impact with maximum economic benefit. Whilst we realise that no extractive industry can be ultimately sustainable in itself, it can help to sustain our economy which can allow a move to alternative energy forms which future generations will need. By operating an extractive industry that relies on natural resources, we must be aware that we are stewards of the environment, and must ensure that there is no lasting legacy of impact for future generations.

Health, Safety, Social and Environment Index

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