10 Amendments of Bart STAES related to 2011/2072(INI)
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls for oil and gas companies to dedicate 5 % of their research and development funds for new prevention and accident remediation technologies; stresses that before any disaster response technologies are added to an approved contingency plan they must be independently tested, assessed and authorised;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that the scope of the Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) should strictly applybe extended so that the ‘polluter pays’ principle and strict liability apply to all damages caused to marine waters and biodiversity, so that oil companies can be held accountable for any and all damage they cause;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission, under the ELD, to lower damage thresholds and to avoid ceilings leading to exoneration of polluters from a strict liability regime for marine water damageenforce a strict liability regime covering all damage to marine waters and biodiversity, regardless of any ceilings arising from mutualisation or insurance cover;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that while in principle financial guarantees can be provided through either insurance or industry mutualisation, it is important to ensure that operators demonstrate financial guarantees in place to cover the full cost of clean-up and compensation in case of a major disaster, and that risks and liabilities are not externalised to smaller companies that are more likely to declare insolvency in the event of an accident; calls for any joint schemes to be established in a manner that maintains incentives for avoiding risks and adhering to highest possible safety standards in individual operations;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Insists that environmental impact assessments are also carried out on emergency response plans and in particular on any use of chemical dispersants; calls for the Commission to ensure more detailed research into the impacts of such chemicals, through EU research programmes if necessary;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls on the Commission to examine the current regulatory framework regarding the decommissioning of existing drilling infrastructure, and to clarify, if necessary by way of legislation, the responsibility of operators for ensuring safe removal and liability for any environmental damage resulting from the decommissioning or from a drilling site after it has been decommissioned;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal to extend the mandate of the European Agency for Maritime Safety (EMSA) to cases of marine pollution caused by other sources than vessels, notably by oil and gas offshore installations; considers that mobile and transport installations, as well as pipeline terminals, should be included; supports the Commission’s request to reflect such new tasks in the EMSA’s budget and staffing levels; considers that EMSA’s mandate could be further extended to provide independent third party auditing of environmental impact assessments and licensing of offshore oil and gas activities, as well as periodic inspections on operators;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Asks the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of licensing requirements related to offshore hydrocarbon exploration and extraction and to come forward with proposals for harmonised minimum requirements at EU level, including independent third party auditing to ensure transparency and disclosure regarding environmental practices and to reduce risks of conflict of interests;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Welcomes the proposals to require EU operators to adhere to European standards regarding activities outside the EU;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Calls for a moratorium on any offshore hydrocarbon exploration and extraction operations in the Arctic due to the vulnerability of its unique environment;