24 August 2011

New EEZ legislation won’t plug a leak, stop climate change

New Zealand needs clean, green jobs, not risky deepwater drilling that will exacerbate climate change, said the Green Party today.

David Clendon, Green Party spokesperson on resource management and off shore drilling was responding to news that the Government introduced new environmental legislation governing off shore mineral exploration and extraction in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Extended Continental Shelf (ECS).

“Deepwater drilling is very risky business, not a sustainable economic strategy,” said Mr Clendon.

“The legislation and regulations introduced by the Government aren’t going to prevent or plug a catastrophic leak.

“There is no guarantee of safety in deepwater drilling.”

Mr Clendon said the Government didn’t have the capacity to deal with a serious deepwater leak like the Gulf disaster last year.

“There have been no significant technological advances in the safety of deepwater drilling in the last year,” said Mr Clendon.

“New Zealand’s pristine shores are too economically valuable and precious to risk.

“The recent protests of Petrobras’s deepwater exploration off the East Cape, and the huge protests of mining in our national parks last year, show that many New Zealanders want a smart green economy, not one based on fossil fuel and mineral extraction.

“Our future prosperity depends on investment in clean, green technology and sustainable jobs.

“Deepwater drilling isn’t a job creator. Taranaki’s entire gas and oil industry directly employs fewer than 800 people.

“The Green Party is developing a plan to create green jobs. We don’t need to risk our shores for sake of a quick buck that will mostly benefit overseas oil companies,” said Mr Clendon.

ENDS

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