DECC: Consultation on amendments to The Offshore Chemicals Regulations 2002 and The Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2005.
We comment on three issues arising from this consultation:
- Potential effects on sampling and testing required for enforcement purposes if the regulations are extended to cover unintentional releases
- Requirements for analysis which may result from making environmental risk assessment a precondition for the grant of an oil discharge permit
- The balanced approach taken by guidance on the oil regulations, in promoting valid analytical measurement techniques while providing flexibility to agree the most effective compliance route on a case-by-case basis.