大象传媒

Before the Scottish Government announced a moratorium on onshore unconventional oil and gas in January 2015, the relevant activities in Scotland, in common with other industrial developments, were regulated by a number of different regulators including government, health and safety executive, local authorities and us, in order to minimise hazards and mitigate the risks to public health and the environment.听听

听

Our regulatory role included ensuring that regulations effectively managed potential risks to air quality, land, and surface and groundwater resources from specific activities that the industry undertakes.听 For example, regulatory controls applied to the construction of the boreholes to prevent potential contamination of ground and surface waters, and water abstraction regulatory controls were in place to prevent over abstraction affecting water environments and others water users. Regulatory controls were also in place in relation to the disposal of waste and the refining of the gas regulatory controls to prevent damage to air, water and land.

听

Regulatory controls included the requirement for site specific monitoring at key stages to ensure early detection of potential impacts and the ability to require mitigation and enforcement of the permit conditions.听 Many of these activities are also carried out by other existing industries which we also regulate. We have, and will continue to work with the Scottish Government and other regulators to ensure that the regulatory framework is effective and robust if the moratorium is lifted however the Scottish Government is not currently proposing to make changes to regulations at this time. The Scottish Government鈥檚 approach will be informed by the evidence and public consultation currently being carried out.