Ruskell: Shell must leave North Sea in same way it found it
Shell has a duty to tidy up its North Sea mess and not leave behind concrete or steel structures say the Scottish Greens.
Responding to an article in today’s Financial Times [1], Mark Ruskell MSP the party’s climate, energy and environment spokesperson said the oil and gas giant should leave the North Sea in the same way they found it and apply the same determination it had in the 60s and 70s.
Ruskell, a Mid Scotland and Fife MSP, said:
“Shell and its shareholders have made millions from North Sea oil and gas and the company now has a duty to give something back. Just because these steel and concrete structures are difficult and expensive to deconstruct and move doesn’t mean Shell should walk away from its responsibilities. Unless there is an overwhelming environmental case for retaining some structures on the sea bed then they should be removed in their entirety.
“The company has the money, the manpower and the ingenuity to come up with a safe way to remove the structures and I urge them to do that. There are thousands of jobs that can be created in Scotland through oil and gas de-commissioning and we should not be holding back the economic opportunity this presents.”
(Ends)
Notes:
[1] Today’s Financial Times:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c4097922-41fe-11e6-b22f-79eb4891c97d.html