MSP Questions Hunterston EIA screening delay
Green MSP Ross Greer has questioned why a Scottish Government decision affecting a big to allow oil rig decommissioning at Hunterston has been delayed for a fourth time.
Marine Scotland (MS), a Scottish Government agency, have been considering an application for a marine construction licence for the plans, which would involve a massive 2.4 million cubic metres of dredging on a site adjacent to the Southannan Sands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). As part of considering that application, Marine Scotland must gain a “screening” opinion from Government Ministers on whether a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required. This must normally be given within 90 days of the request, unless there are “exceptional circumstances”.
In 2017, when smaller scale plans were lodged which involved 200,000 cubic tonnes of dredging, ministers decided against requiring a full environmental impact assessment, but on 1 March 2019, after the plans suddenly grew to 12 times their initial size, Marine Scotland asked ministers for a further opinion. A decision was initially due in May 2019, but in January this year, Marine Scotland extended the date to 6 March, over a year since the initial request.
Green MSP Ross Greer, who has joined local residents in their campaign to make sure an environmental impact assessment takes place, commented:
“The repeated delays on this decision are so baffling. Absolutely everyone we speak to thinks it’s perfectly obvious that any plan involving 2.4. million cubic metres of dredging beside a sensitive environmental should be fully assessed for its impact on that environment. I again wrote to Marine Scotland to ask for an explanation for this delay but their only response is to say that a decision is ‘still under consideration’.
“Southannan Sands is a unique habitat with many rare species, so this decision really matters. Dredging a thousand Olympic-sized swimming pools right next to it will clearly have a massive impact. We must know what that impact is before a final decision on the proposals can be made. This has hung over the community for far too long.”