22 September 2013

Oil Exploration Threatens Wellington Says MANA Candidate

Drilling for oil off the South Coast is a threat to Wellington according to MANA candidate for Wellington Regional Council, Ariana Paretutanganui-Tamati. 

Depending on the results of the seismic survey Anadarko may undertake exploratory drilling. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, occurred while Anadarko was performing exploratory drilling for oil. Drilling off the Wellington coast would be at twice the depth of the drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ms Paretutanganui-Tamati is concerned at the effects of an oil spill on both the environment and the people.

 "Exploratory drilling is the most dangerous", she says , "And  we all know how 
rough Cook Strait sea conditions can be, quite apart from earthquakes, underwater landslides and possible tsunamis".  

She says that the Regional Council must do all that it can to place a moratorium on deep-sea oil drilling, as they have done against fracking.  "We must fight back to protect our coastlines for our children and future generations.  We must demand that this Government revoke Anadarko's permit and support other Councils to do the same."  

Ms Paretutanganui-Tamati says that the Government has no plan or capability to respond to an oil spill in Wellington. "Their primary management plan is just to use "Correctix", a toxic crude-oil dispersant that when mixed with oil, creates a carcinogenic substance. Victims in the US are already suffering neurological and cancerous effects from this chemical used in the Gulf disaster, and their coastal and marine environs have been destroyed indefinitely.", she warns.

ENDS

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