Russian seas finally protected by parliamentary law

摘要

A law to protect the country's seas from oil pollution has been passed by the Russian Parliament. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Russia has been working on such a law since the oil spill in the Kerchensky Strait of Southern Russia in 2007, and over the years has presented the idea to various government bodies. Ecologists then further developed the draft law together with the specialized committee on environment in 2010. A year later, the State Duma approved a first hearing of a similar draft law prepared by the Ministry of Natural Resources, but did not include the necessary measures needed to fully protect the seas in case of an oil spill.