JUDGE SAYS GREENPEACE HIGH COURT APPLICATION "OF NATIONAL INTEREST" AND SHOULD BE HEARD URGENTLY
London, 24 July 1997
Greenpeace faced opposition from the Government and 22 oil companies in the High Court today during an historic hearing in which the environmental group pursued its application for an investigation into the licensing of oil exploration in the Atlantic Frontier.
Mr Justice Tucker, presiding, said; " This is a case of considerable importance, high sensitivity and national interest for all parties concerned. This is a matter of some urgency."
Afterwards Greenpeace Campaign Director, Sarah Burton congratulated the judge for recognising the urgency of the issues involved in the case and for ear-marking September - during the court's normal vacation time - for the next stage of Greenpeace's legal challenge.
But she was highly critical of the very unusual precedent caused by the Government's and oil companies' decision to try and silence Greenpeace by opposing the environmental group at a very early stage in its bid to apply for a Judicial Review. This decision made it impossible for the leave application to be held today in court.
She said New Labour's environmental credibility was now severely in jeopardy after today's hearing because of the way in which the Government and the oil companies are using blocking tactics to delay proceedings. Mr Justice Tucker even had to rule out an early application for costs from the oil companies and he encouraged the growing number of oil companies opposing Greenpeace to limit their evidence so as to keep future costs down.
The case hinges on whether or not the UK is flouting European law by failing to consider its responsibilities under EC environmental directives prior to the issuing of licences for oil exploration in the Atlantic Frontier, off the North West of Scotland.
" This is New Labour taking new liberties with its environmental responsibilities," said Sarah Burton, Campaign Director outside the High Court. " They are using Tory-style tactics to block and delay proceedings because they are desperate to stop us. It shows we have got both the Government and the oil companies completely rattled because they know we are right and they are wrong."
New Labour claimed in its environmental policy report, In Trust for Tomorrow, that it would open its doors to environmental groups seeking to challenge potentially damaging activities. And a House of Lords report on environmental European law published on Tuesday July 22 encouraged groups to use the UK courts to try to enforce European legislation.
"Instead of trying to silence Greenpeace, Tony Blair should do what he told us he would - keep his promises that the environment would be at the heart of all the new Government's policies, " said Sarah Burton. "Empty rhetoric is no good. We want real commitment to protect this ocean wilderness that is home to deep cold water coral, whales, dolphins and colonies of rare birds. We want to stop it being turned into a marine industrial estate."
Greenpeace activists have been maintaining a 24-hour vigil living in cramped conditions in a specially designed solar survival capsule on Rockall, a lonely rocky islet, since June 10. On Monday Greenpeace wrote to Tony Blair asking him to relinquish the UK's claim on Rockall, which is situated in the heart of waters disputed by four nations. Seismic testing vessels have also had to abandon operations when they encountered Greenpeace swimmers in the deep ocean waters.
As well as arguing that disturbing fragile marine ecosystems and deep cold water coral that is home to hundreds of species is unlawful, Greenpeace says the search for oil does not make sense because science indicates that if all the oil reserves known to exist in the world already were burnt it would lead to irreversible climate change.
The legal challenge brought by Greenpeace is part of a wider campaign to highlight the need for the Government to ban new oil exploration on the grounds that unrestricted burning of fossil fuels will lead to irreversible climate change. Greenpeace believes the UK should take a world lead in investing in solar power technology and phasing out fossil fuels like oil.
"Environmental problems like marine pollution and global climate change will not go away, " said Sarah Burton," indeed they will come back to haunt us."
Notes To Correspondents:
1. The next hearing, which should last two days and where evidence for and against Greenpeace's leave application for a full Judicial Review will be presented, will be held as soon as possible after 10 September. If a substantive hearing follows it is likely to be scheduled for early November.
2. For the latest video coverage/stills available of direct action at sea; to arrange interviews; media briefing notes on legal challenge/Atlantic Frontier/climate change, contact Press Office on 0171 865 8255/6/7/8.
3. Greenpeace argues the Government announcement on July 17 of draft regulations for the implementation of the European Environmental Impacts Assessment Directive (EIA) has come too late. It will not affect major oil developments on the Atlantic Frontier at Schiehallion or Foinaven and neither do they affect the programme of seismic testing which is currently going ahead off the North West of Scotland.
4. Some of the oil companies opposing Greenpeace are: Agip (UK) Ltd; Amerada Hess Ltd; Arco British Ltd; BG Exploration & Production Ltd; Conoco (UK) Ltd; Elf Exploration UK plc; Enterprise Oil plc; Fina Petroleum Development Ltd; Marathon Oil Uk Ltd; Mobil North Sea Ltd; Murphy Petroleum Ltd; Phillips Petroleum Company United Kingdom Ltd; Shell UK Ltd; Statoil (UK) Ltd; Texaco Ltd.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Greenpeace Press Office on +44 (0)171 865 8255/6/7/8