Oil and gas: environmental policy
Information and minutes for OSPAR, REACH and research groups and forums for offshore oil and gas.
Overview
From this page, you can access information and minutes with regards to the following stakeholder groups that were formed to feed into and help shape environmental policy:
- OSPAR Offshore Industry Committee (OIC)
- REACH Working Group - From the National Archive
- Offshore Oil and Gas Environmental Research Programme
- UK Offshore Forum
You can also visit the EU Environment Register, below, to find out about EU proposals for environmental legislation that have or may have impacts on the offshore oil/gas industry.
OSPAR Offshore Industry Committee (OIC)
OSPAR is the common name for the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic, to which the UK is one of 16 contracting parties.
The Offshore Activities Strategy emphasises the importance of a goal-setting approach to regulation and the use of internationally recognised environmental management systems (EMS). It is pursued within OSPAR by the OIC, which aims to:
- identify pressures and their impact on the marine environment
- assess the effectiveness of existing programmes and measures and the need and scope for further action
- develop new programmes and measures
- assess the implementation of programmes and measures by contracting parties
Visit the OSPAR Commission website for further information
OSPAR - Risk Based Approach For The Management Of Produced Water
The OSPAR Recommendation 2012/5 requires Contracting Parties to implement a risk-based approach (RBA) for the management of produced water (PW) discharges from offshore installations. General guidance relating to the Recommendation can be found in OSPAR Agreement 2012/7. Guidance for the United Kingdom Risk Based Approach Implementation Programme can be found below and included in Annex 1 and 2 are copies of the OSPAR Recommendation 2012/5 and OSPAR Agreement 2012/7. Please note Annex 3 will not be updated in the guidance and operators should not be concerned if a previously approved amendment to the schedule is not reflected in the tables in Annex 3.
Following the OSPAR Commission meeting in Cascais, the Commission published its background document on the ‘Establishment of a list of Predicted No Effect Concentrations (PNECs) for naturally occurring substances in produced water’ (OSPAR Agreement 2014/05). The new document supplements the information contained in Appendix 5 to the OSPAR Guidelines in support of Recommendation 2012/5 for a Risk-based Approach to the Management of Produced Water Discharges from Offshore Installations (OSPAR Agreement 2012/7). A copy of the new publication (OSPAR Agreement 2014/05) can be found below and the United Kingdom Risk Based Approach Implementation Programme guidance has been amended to take account of the OSPAR publication, and to incorporate a number of additional minor changes.
Technical note updating the dilution factors for the UK risk-based approach to the management of produce water discharges from offshore installations.
Offshore oil and gas environmental research programme
This programme is now closed, but download the inventory below for an overview of completed projects supported by the programme and associated reports.
UK Offshore Forum
This was a tripartite forum that brought together government, the offshore oil and gas industry and environmental non-governmental organisations to consider environmental issues connected with oil and gas activities.
EU Environmental Issues Register
The EU Environmental Issues Register provides an overview of EU proposals for environmental legislation that have or may have impacts on the offshore oil/gas industry.
Visit the National Archives to see older editions of the EU Environmental Issues Register.
Updates to this page
Last updated 29 July 2022 + show all updates
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RBA Programme progress added to page
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The guidelines for the UK risk-based approach programme for the management of produce water discharges from offshore installations have been updated. Technical report on the updated dilution factors for the UK RBA has been added. The RBA implementation programme progress has been removed.
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The guidelines for the UK risk-based approach programme for the management of produce water discharges from offshore installations have been updated. Technical report on the updated dilution factors for the UK RBA has been added. The RBA implementation programme progress has been removed.
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Updated Risk Based Approach Implementation Programme Progress
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United Kingdom Risk Based Approach Implementation Programme - (updated)
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Risk Based Approach Implementation Programme Progress
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Oil and Gas: Added document for June to July Environmental Issues Register
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Oil and Gas: Updated Research Programme Funded Projects document
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Environmental Register (Oil & Gas) - March to May 2015 - (added)
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Oil and gas: Environmental Register (Oil & Gas) - August to November 2014 - (added)
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Oil and gas: Insert of OSPAR - Risk Based Approach For The Management Of Produced Water section.
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Oil ans gas: Environmental Register (Oil & Gas) - July 2014 - (added)
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Oil and gas: Environmental Register (Oil & Gas) - January to June 2014 - (added)
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Oil and gas: Environmental Register (Oil & Gas) - August to December 2013 - (added)
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Environmental Register (Oil & Gas) - April to July 2013 - added
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First published.