Deep Sea Oil Drilling Ban Rejected By European Nations

OSLO, Norway — Oil-producing countries on Thursday rejected a German proposal for a moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Northeast Atlantic that reflected environmental concerns after the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

At a meeting of environment ministers and officials from 15 European countries and the European Union, Germany suggested that offshore nations consider a temporary halt to the "drilling of new complex deep-water oil exploration wells."

Greenpeace activists said offshore oil nations including Norway, Denmark and Britain opposed the draft at the two-day meeting in Norway's west coast city of Bergen. Stefan Krug, a spokesman for Greenpeace Germany, called it "a shame" that host Norway was "not able to agree to adequate and urgent measures."

Norwegian Environment Ministry spokesman Gard Nybro-Nielsen confirmed the German proposal was off the table.

Oil and gas resources in the North Sea have made Norway one of the richest countries in the world, but those resources are running out. Feeling the pressure, Norway is also exploring in the Barents Sea in the Arctic.

Norwegian Environment Minister Erik Solheim told The Associated Press that Norway will not authorize new deep-water drilling until the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf has been evaluated, but doesn't support an international moratorium.

President Barack Obama imposed a U.S. deepwater drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico following the April 20 oil well blowout that killed 11 workers and spewed more than 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf before it was capped in July.

The German proposal also called for making sure that offshore operations meet the highest safety standards and demanded an analysis of whether the circumstances that led to the Deepwater Horizon accident could also occur in the Northeast Atlantic.

"It was important to us that this issue was on the agenda," said Thomas Hagbeck, a spokesman for Germany's environmental agency.

EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik attended the meeting along with envoys from Norway, Germany, Denmark, Britain, Belgium, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

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Associated Press Writer Melissa Eddy in Berlin contributed to this report.

Comments

[Squeezer55]

08:07 PM on 09/26/2010

Greenpeace receives funding from the Saudis - has for years . Their are the Saudis de facto marketing tool.

[Megajim]

05:01 PM on 09/25/2010

Oh yeah cause like nothing could go wrong and we totally "need" more earthblood

[changling]

09:27 AM on 09/25/2010

The Mega Corporations and their friends are terminally ill with lust for power and money.
Until this is acknowledged and addressed these power mongers will continue to do business as usual even if it effects their own and their family's health and possibly way of life in the end.
We (the average, intelligent persons of America) have been bullied into submission. If we do not start fighting back in a big way we will literally allow the bad guys to destroy every natural and necessary resource (food, water, air, soil) we have. It's "We The People" that have to act now. We forget that we are the majority and if we band together by closing our wallets and taking steps to fight bad policies and politicians we may still be able to turn it around. Let's get the party started. Send even a dollar to the politicians that fight for us like Bernie Sanders, write letters to your congress men/women, email the President, attend town meetings. Get involved. The first step is to not let Republicans take control in November. The next step is to create a new party that will be for the greater good and not the chosen few.

[dontbelieveinmyths]

11:46 AM on 09/24/2010

It's also up to consumers to talk with their wallets. We need to do as much as we can by buying solar, recycling, composting, growing our own food, and donating to organizations that are using wind, biochar, and other environmentally savvy methods. It's not easy to give up gas cars because our hands are tied in this regard. Hybrids are not the be all end all, and they're expensive. Electric cars were available in the 80s, but now we have to wait for somebody to get off their butt and make something viable again, since we scrapped the EV-1s. We need to get away from gas-powered machines for our homes and businesses. We need to be the voices, and as consumers we definitely have the power. And that's true all over the world.

[snowballinhell]

11:47 PM on 09/23/2010

Dedication from Rachael Carson's Silent Spring © 1962

Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by destroying earth.

"Well, it seems like total destruction is only solution" - Bob Marley

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - Santayana

[snowballinhell]

01:20 AM on 09/24/2010

Rachel Carson's quote is from Albert Sweitzer.

[Strings55]

11:09 PM on 09/23/2010

Meanwhile, we ban drilling here and financially help Brazil and Mexico do it in the GOM.

Anybody see a problem here? This administration stops shooting us in the foot only long enough to reload.

[LMPE]

07:28 PM on 09/23/2010

Europe, you're supposed to be better than this

[daultman463]

11:33 AM on 09/24/2010

They are not better than this my friend and they never have been.

[lightningbolt]

03:44 PM on 09/23/2010

We must continue pushing for massive worldwide investments in clean renewable energy.  Clean renewable energy is the ONLY type of energy that can sustain our economies and environment indefinitely, cleanly and profitably.  Everyone should follow Germany's example and convert their entire energy system to 100% clean renewable energy.

[HLL]

04:24 PM on 09/23/2010

Right on! Already a fan, so faved.

"To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival."
~ Wendell Berry, American man of letters, and farmer ☮

[Spazoid-droid]

11:06 PM on 09/23/2010

your right. all of us shoild we doing it. but oil and coal peep are spending lotsa $$$ to stop us from clean energy. HILL - i like your reply also ...

[OkieMon]

03:02 PM on 09/23/2010

coal and oil are simply toxic waste....

[snowballinhell]

01:25 AM on 09/24/2010

And nukes

[lookoutnow]

09:14 PM on 09/26/2010

The Earth didn't seem to think so when it created them. I'll defer to the source on this one...

[tompoe]

01:21 PM on 09/23/2010

Looks like we're not the only stupid people in the world.