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Environmental guidance following Finch Supreme Court ruling

The government is consulting with stakeholders on draft guidance for offshore gas and oil projects. This follows the groundbreaking Supreme Court Decision on Environmental Assessment, handed down in the case of R (on the application of Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group) (Appellant) v Surrey County Council and others back in June of this year, which required operators to consider the impact of burning oil and gas in Environmental Impact Assessments for oil and gas extraction projects.

The draft guidance will supplement OPRED’s existing EIA guidance (there is no consultation on the existing guidance, unchanged in light of the Finch judgment). 

Related but separately, the government has also announced it will consult before the end of the year on the implementation of its commitment not to issue new oil and gas licenses to explore new fields, as part of its plan to ensure a fair and prosperous transition in the North Sea.

The government has also announced that it is “speeding up a new skills passport to help oil and gas workers move into roles in offshore wind”. 

Investment in offshore wind is under way, and the government is moving ahead with new North Sea industries like carbon capture and storage and hydrogen.

Posted on 11/05/2024 by Ortolan

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