Demand a moratorium on deepwater drilling in UK waters

In UK waters, off the west of the Shetland Isles, BP and others are eyeing up the oil reserves under the deep sea. This delicate ecosystem, which is home to dolphins and many other species, would be devastated by an oil spill.

We need a moratorium on all deepwater drilling in UK waters.

The US have already banned new deep sea drilling and last month the European Energy Commissioner called on all EU countries to follow suit.

Tell the Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, that we need an immediate moratorium on all deepwater drilling in UK waters.

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Dear Chris Huhne,

The BP oil spill has brought home to me some of the consequences of our addiction to oil.

Now I’m very concerned about deep sea drilling in UK waters and about our dependence on oil, which is driving dangerous shifts in our climate.

I feel passionately that we need a moratorium on deepwater drilling in UK waters.

The easy-to-reach oil has almost dried up and oil is becoming ever more difficult and risky to obtain. As a result oil companies are increasingly exploring and exploiting in more fragile and remote areas. If spills and leaks happen in these vulnerable habitats, the impact could be at least as damaging, if not much worse, than the spill in the Gulf.

The BP disaster has led the US government to impose a moratorium on deepwater drilling, and Europe’s energy commissioner, Günther Oettinger, has called for other EU countries, including the UK to follow suit until we know what went wrong and how to ensure such a catastrophe never happens again.

As you know, oil companies are looking to the deeper waters off the west of Shetland as a potential site for drilling. You could suspend these plans and all such deep sea drilling in UK waters. A spill in these waters would be disastrous for these fragile habitats, and in the long term our continued dependence on oil will seriously hamper our ability to tackle climate change and undermine our economic stability.

It’s clear that we need to end Britain’s dangerous dependence upon oil, especially in the transport sector where solutions to help us move beyond oil are already available. In the short term, I hope you will champion the introduction of tough new efficiency standards for cars and vans in Europe, and that you will kick start the roll-out of electric vehicles across Britain.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Demand a moratorium on deepwater drilling in UK waters

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