Environmental Report 1998 Index

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UKOOA's Commitment to the Environment Most people accept that the availability of oil and gas brings enormous benefits to society. Whether used in manufacturing or for transportation, heating homes, schools and hospitals, or providing energy for farms, factories and businesses, oil and gas are foundation stones of modern economies, and one of the keys to the material well-being and prosperity of society. As with nearly every technologically based aspect of modern life, oil and gas production doesn't just bring benefits: it brings inherent impacts to the environment that need to be managed. The industry deals with products that are inherently hazardous and if mismanaged can be polluting. Governments and the public rightly require that we make our activities as safe and as clean as possible. However, some people appear to suspect that oil companies do not try hard enough with regard to the environment. The environment is important at a business and a personal level. Increasingly, both the public, the government regulators and licensees are unwilling to tolerate poor environmental performance. Failure to apply good environmental practice has a consequence for long-term business prospects. We all take pride in our work and need to be able to describe how we ensure the environment is protected. This document marks the beginning of a process whereby the UK offshore oil industry describes its environmental performance more publicly. It gives an industry perspective on current environmental issues of significance. It also contains the first quantified statement of discharges and emissions from the facilities of members of UKOOA; the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association. UKOOA is a trade association representing 35 different oil and gas companies operating in UK waters. This report provides information on the performance of the industry as a whole. Information at a more detailed level may be obtained from individual member companies, a list of which is provided at the end of this report. Although UKOOA recognises the importance of managing the environmental impacts from oil and gas at all stages, this report cannot address issues beyond the remit of UKOOA's members who are responsible only for the production of offshore oil and gas and, in most cases, its initial delivery to onshore terminals. UKOOA is committed to produce this environmental report on an annual basis. The UKOOA membership is also endeavouring to continually improve its environmental performance. I am sure our annual environmental performance report will clearly demonstrate this commitment over the years to come. Overleaf, that legendary campaigner on behalf of the environment, David Bellamy, sets out his vision of the role we might play and challenges us to scale the heights. Whilst we may always fall short of David's highest expectations, we are determined to deliver the benefits that we bring to society as safely and cleanly as possible. This report marks a beginning. Although we are proud of what we have achieved, we make no claim to having achieved perfection in a changing world. What we can promise is to measure and consistently report our environmental performance. Our goal is, and will continue to be, to meet the United Kingdom's needs for oil and gas in an environmentally sensitive manner. Steve Suellentrop President, UKOOA.