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Deep sea drilling will soon commence in the rough
waters off the New Zealand coast. This could mark the beginning of an oil rush in which
democratic process, public concern, environmental protection and safety considerations
are all swept aside. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around New
Zealand is fifteen times larger than the country’s land area – it extends from
the sub-tropical to the sub-Antarctic. Like the Arctic, New Zealand’s EEZ
supports a multitude of species which travel from far-flung areas of the globe
to reach these rich waters. Like the Arctic, New Zealand’s EEZ is fast becoming
an oil exploration frontier.
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In the Arctic, drilling rig operators must
contend with the extreme polar conditions and sea ice. In New Zealand,
notoriously rough seas and the deep ocean will test the limits of drilling
technology. The deepest offshore oil production well in New Zealand is
currently 125 m below the ocean’s surface. In a matter of weeks, Texan oil
company Anadarko will drill its first deep-sea oil well 1500 m below the waves
of the Tasman Sea. This is the first exploration well in what is shaping up to
be an onslaught of deep-sea oil drilling in the coming years.
To expedite the deep-sea oil rush, a legislative
process is underway to remove any consultation rights from the New Zealand
public regarding proposals to drill new offshore exploratory oil wells.
Meanwhile, in May of 2013 the government rushed through a law, infamously known
as the ‘Anadarko
amendment‘, banning protest within 500 m of a rig or drill ship
operating within the New Zealand EEZ. The penalties for entering this 500 m
zone include hefty fines and up to a year in prison. Like the Russian response
to the Arctic 30, the message from the New Zealand government is clear:
opposition to oil drilling is not welcome here.
The dangers of deep-sea oil
Public concern in New Zealand over this deep-sea
oil rush is understandable. In 2010, the environmental and economic devastation
that a deep-sea oil spill may cause became a terrible reality in the Gulf of
Mexico. Vast quantities of oil gushed into the Gulf unimpeded for 87 days
before the spill was capped. As a quarter share investor in the well, Anadarko
(the same company at the vanguard of the New Zealand oil rush) were found
jointly liable for the worst oil spill in history.
Read more at ENN affiliate, The
Ecologist.
West
Coast New Zealand image via Shutterstock.
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