More Effective Measures for Environmental Control of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in Norway

摘要

The study presented herein has covered improved regulatoryrnmeasures with regards to environmental management andrncontrol in the Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry. Thernstudy has focused on the efficiency of the regulatory measuresrnwith respect to:rn1. The predictability of the measures and the incentivesrnfor improvement they give to industryrn2. Cost benefit aspects and practical challenges ofrnimplementation.rnA model for future regulatory measures is defined whichrnrecognizes the needs for achieving environmental control asrnearly as possible in the field development phase so that thernmeasures become more predictable and effective. Definedrnneeds for more formal co-operation between the authoritiesrnand the industry and further recognition of the environmentalrnmanagement systems in the industry are catered for in thernmodel.rnThe model presented in this study include:rna) Revised and improved Regional Environmental ImpactrnAssessments (REIA) which will simplify and improve thernField specific Environmental Impact Assessments (FEIA), andrnimprove the predictability for future activities in the region.rnb) The introduction of an Oil Industry’s CommonrnEnvironmental Plan (OICEP), which will establish commonrnenvironmental goals and agreed principles for reaching theserngoals by the total industry.rnc) An “agreement concept” between the industry andrngovernment, which is formalized with each licensee throughrnreferencing the OICEP in the discharge permits.rnThe current CO2-tax has also been evaluated and it isrnproposed to replace this tax totally or partly by a CO2-fundrncontrolled by the industry.