Petrobras announces it ain’t lovin’ it in New Zealand

Auckland, 4 December 2012 - Today’s announcement that Petrobras has pulled out of its deep sea oil drilling plans for New Zealand is a victory for Kiwis opposed to risky deep sea drilling, says Greenpeace.

A campaign by East Cape iwi Te Whanau a Apanui, Greenpeace and other groups against Petrobras’ exploration of the Raukumara Basin started early last year.

“The likelihood of oil from a deep sea blowout washing onto the beautiful beaches and coastline of the East Cape and Bay of Plenty just went down by 100 per cent,” says Greenpeace Climate Campaigner Simon Boxer.

“However you look at this, it really calls into question the Government’s petroleum plans. Not only is it an environmental and economic risk if it proceeds, but it is a serious economic gamble which depends on the whims and fortunes of foreign oil companies.

“This is yet another blow to Steven Joyce’s business growth strategy that is so intimately linked to the interests of overseas oil and mining companies. His policy is to play Russian roulette with our coastlines, beaches and our prosperity.

"Instead, a responsible Government would give its full support to our world-leading clean energy sector which will create local jobs and grow our economy without risking our beaches or increasing pollution.”

Home-grown Kiwi innovators can be the bedrock of the future clean smart economy by capturing some of the trillions of dollars being invested in the global clean technology sector. Last year, more money was invested around the world in clean energy generation than in fossil fuels (1).

The campaign against Petrobras’ drilling plans has included;
• An historic protest flotilla in April 2011 that harried Petrobras’ seismic testing off East Cape for 42 days and led to the arrest of local fisherman Elvis Teddy.
• A legal challenge in June 2012 by Te Whanau a Apanui and Greenpeace based on a Judicial Review of the Government’s issuing of the permit to Petrobras. The Judicial Review was unsuccessful and has been appealed.
• A petition (delivered to Parliament on 24 July, 2012) of over 140,000 New Zealanders calling on the Government to abandon its fossil fuels agenda, in favour of clean energy.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

(1) Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2012, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, UNEP. http://fs-unep-centre.org/sites/default/files/publications/globaltrendsreport2012final.pdf

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