SARAH BURTON
Director, Campaign for Sane Energy

Let me tell you about the Atlantic Frontier.

That is not our name, it's the oil industry's. Here it is - the UK part stretches from far into the Atlantic to West of Shetland.

Some of the territory is disputed by Denmark, Iceland and Ireland as well as Britain. It's an old fashioned imperialist resource grab, for oil and fish that may end up in the International Court of Justice.

Britain's claim reaches right out west of Rockall. The line is drawn around Rockall. In 1975 Britain secretly bolstered its claim by landing two marines on the rock, complete with sentry box.

These days the Frontier is swarming with oil companies. There are more than thirty of them - led by BP and Shell but including companies from Norway, Germany, America and even Austria.

Its a technology proving ground.

BP leads the way with its Foinaven field, due to produce oil last year but much delayed by technical failure.

It is using a unique and untried combination of technology, most notably this FPSO or Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel, because the water is too deep and rough for conventional rigs.

The oil is planned to be ferried off by visiting oil tankers. This combination of technology is unique. BP is proud of it.

Let me quote you BP.In a recent letter to me, they wrote "By overcoming these challenges a number of UK and UK-based companies are now in a strong position to pursue export opportunities in deep water areas around the world".

How nice. But how unfortunate. According to the OECD, in the next twenty years eighty percent of new oil development is expected to be offshore. As we have heard, for the sake of the climate, this is a frontier too far

As if this was not enough, the Atlantic Frontier development has been rushed through, or as the Department of Trade and Industry puts it, "fast tracked".

First, Britain abolished taxes and lowered taxes to induce oil companies to move into the Atlantic. Thanks to Tim Eggar and his friends we now have the softest tax regime for offshore oil of anywhere in the world except Ireland.

Second, they pushed through oil licensing - such as the 17th Round which includes 22,000 square miles and was signed off while Parliament was prorogued for the election - with no public scrutiny or proper environmental assessment.

We believe this was illegal.

Together with the RSPB, the Marine Conservation Society and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Greenpeace has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission over Britain's patent failure to implement the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive for oil exploration.

What is more, Britain may be in breach of the Habitats Directive too.

The Atlantic Frontier is not just swarming with oil men looking for oil, it is swarming with birds, and sea life and whales. In fact it is the richest habitat in Europe for whales.

In just two hours last year, scientists from Cornell University who were using the old US Navy submarine listening system, detected fourteen blue whales off the Atlantic Frontier and eight in one area together. Like other people, I am sure, we were surprised that these magnificent and rare animals are so close to the UK.

Altogether more than twenty species of whale and dolphin have been recorded from the area, which is also of international importance for birdlife.

Scientists describe the Rockall Trough that runs along the continental shelf as a "motorway for whales", there are so many migrating sperm whales and other species.

Strange isn't it ? The UK, a staunch advocate of protecting whales from whalers, sees fit to industrialise their habitat for oil.

Is this a good place for an oil development when the world needs to stop fossil fuel expansion ? The answer has to be no.

Are there increased risks of oil pollution from the tanker movements that will be involved ? The answer has to be yes.

Will there be routine pollution from oil discharges and drill cuttings, and all the attendant industrialisation which has polluted the North Sea ? Again, yes.

What are we/Greenpeace going to do ?

Well, we applied to take the whole thing off the Government's hands and run the 17th Round ourselves. They considered our application but found it a bit lacking on oil production - as we said that the oil should stay below ground.

We may yet see the Government in court. We are engaged in "discussions" with BP. Some of it is confidential. On other occasions we have been on their forecourts. BP see themselves as the greenest oil company: we say to them - show your commitment by pulling out of further oil exploration.