Street Maryan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeStreet Maryan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 04 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13238. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Hon MARYAN STREET (Labour) to theMinister for the Environment: Has she had any advice that exploratory drilling at deep sea levels may pose significant environmental or health and safety risks and if so why is she proposing that exploratory deep sea drilling like the Deepwater Horizon Well is non-notified under the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 and therefore protected from public submissions?Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister for the Environment): I have received advice that if a large-scale oil spill were to occur it may well have significant environmental risks but I have also had advice saying that the likelihood of such a spill from an exploratory drill was very low. I also have seen advice from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) that says there were no activities associated with oil and gas extraction that were considered to represent an extreme environmental risk. To the contrary exploratory drilling involves the drilling of a very small hole in the seabed and when operating as intended it has a low environmental impact. At this exploratory stage of the process it is the environmental impact and safeguards that the regulator needs to be satisfied with and I am confident that the Environmental Protection Authority retaining full discretion to accept or to decline the application and impose conditions as needed on a case by case basis achieves this.Hon Maryan Street: Why does she think that environmental experts and local groups should not be permitted to submit on the potential environmental and economic impacts for the surrounding area given the significant risks attaching to exploratory drilling?Hon AMY ADAMS: I have every confidence that the Environmental Protection Authority has access to all of the expertise and advice that it wishes to access. It will have all of the information available to it and it will be able to make the decision based on the facts and the information in front of it which is appropriate and is the way the vast majority of regulatory decisions in this country are made.Hon Phil Heatley: What reports has the Minister seen on the Government’s offshore oil and gas exploration proposals?Hon AMY ADAMS: I have seen reports noting that offshore oil and gas drilling is an essential feature of domestic and export growth and also that decisions on these matters should be made in a rational fashion not based on knee-jerk emotionalism. The member across the House who was asking questions previously Maryan Street may want to check which faction she is backing because these quotes came from the Hon Shane Jones.Hon Maryan Street: Talking about deep-sea drilling does she think that New Zealand is sufficiently prepared to deal with the risk of a deep-sea exploratory well blow-out given that Maritime New Zealand considers itself prepared to deal with a spill of only up to 3500 tonnes when theRena vessel alone was carrying 1700 tonnes and the Gulf of Mexico exploratory well spilled 600000 tonnes?Hon AMY ADAMS: Yes I am satisfied that New Zealand is very well positioned given particularly the fact that the Health and Safety in Employment (PetroleumExploration and Extraction) Regulations have only just recently been updated to international best practice and that the level of insurance required to be carried by operators has been increased under this Government. I can certainly be confident that New Zealand is far better positioned now that we have a regime for environmental protection in the exclusive economic zone which not only did the Labour-Green Government not bother with in 9 years but when the National Government introduced it those parties tried to block it.Hon Maryan Street: Why does she expect the public to have full confidence in her Environmental Protection Authority appointees exercising their full discretion in granting non-notified permits given she attempted to appoint someone to the authority who was going to carry on consulting work for the oil and gas industry during his time on the board?Hon AMY ADAMS: I reject that assertion. She is simply incorrect.Brendan Horan: Given that nearly 2 years after the wreck of theRena on a rock there is still oil and debris floating ashore what confidence can the Government give to the people of New Zealand that an oil spill of say one-hundredth of the size of the Deepwater Horizon spill can be contained when the Government’s current rapid oil response unit consists of three aluminium dinghies just 8 metres long complete with depth sounder radio compass GPS and two outboard motors?Hon AMY ADAMS: First of all the member may not be aware that theRena incident is not a matter that would have been covered under the exclusive economic zone legislation. He may not be aware of that but that is certainly the case. Secondly I would refer that member to the answer I have just given around New Zealand’s preparedness. Thirdly I would point out to the member that actually the environmental monitoring reports around the recovery from theRena suggest that the environment has recovered extremely well and exceeded expectations.