A question for John Key on drilling

Written By: - Date published: 3:15 pm, July 2nd, 2010 - 9 comments
Categories: Environment, john key, Mining - Tags: ,

With respect to his intention to allow Brazillian oil giant Petrobras to drill offshore in the Raukumara Basin, John Key says:

“By the time they ever start wanting to drill holes in that part of New Zealand then there will be strong environmental standards in place and they will have to meet those standards or they won’t be able to progress”

My question for Key. Will the “standards” that he intends to put in place include the requirement that Petrobras be able to conclusively demonstrate that they have the capacity to quickly and effectively stop any oil leak associated with the drilling? If the standards don’t include such a requirement, what good are they?

9 comments on “A question for John Key on drilling ”

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  1. ianmac 1
    2 July 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Rather wondered if the exploration drilling itself could cause a leak? Sort of oops. Just looking and the oil bubbled up. Sorry.

    • Lanthanide 1.1
      2 July 2010 at 4:32 pm

      If by “exploration drilling” you mean “exploration well”, then yes. That is exactly what the deepwater horizon well in the Gulf is – an exploration well.

      The difference between an exploration well and a full production well basically comes down to expected flow rate and capacity, etc.

      It has been quite a few decades since companies would dig a hole and see if they had oil gushing out of it – its is now all done by seismic charts and complex 3d models. Then they will drill an exploration well, but such well will be set up so as to recover any oil that does flow (and send samples off for testing), it is not simply left to float out into the ocean or cover the fields in unprocessed crude.

      • Clarke 1.1.1
        2 July 2010 at 4:43 pm

        That is exactly what the deepwater horizon well in the Gulf is an exploration well.

        Technically, I think it would be more accurate to call Deepwater Horizon “a ragged hole in the seabed that is spewing hydrocarbons at an uncontrolled rate”. Any resemblance to an actual well was lost some time ago, unfortunately.

  2. felix 2
    2 July 2010 at 4:36 pm

    I’m pretty sure the “strong environmental standards” bit is more of a aspirational statement.

  3. Clarke 3
    2 July 2010 at 4:38 pm

    I have every confidence that John Key’s strong environmental standards will be equally as good as the strong ethical standards he’s held his Cabinet to, and the truly excellent National Standards his government is inflicting on school pupils.

    When it comes to standards, you just can’t go past John Key’s consistent track record.

    • Pete 3.1
      2 July 2010 at 4:48 pm

      Or the John Key track (cycleway) – that employment boom is going to happen any time now.

  4. lyndon 4
    2 July 2010 at 5:00 pm

    Judging from Gordon Campbell, your answer is ‘no’.
    http://werewolf.co.nz/2010/06/big-oil-rigging-the-game/

  5. kriswgtn 5
    2 July 2010 at 5:30 pm

    and the 2010 budget that was going to create 170.000 jobs

    hahhaha

    Fool

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