“Gatwick Gusher” breached safety laws over blowout preventer
The oil exploration site in Surrey, nicknamed the “Gatwick Gusher”, breached health and safety laws last year, DrillOrDrop has learned.
Guest post: Liability lottery of onshore decommissioning
Who pays for clean-ups and decommissioning if an onshore operator goes bust? It’s a question that is concerning MPs and landowners. In this guest post, researcher and anti-fracking campaigner, Ben Dean, looks at the rules for decommissioning and argues for tougher controls.
Campaigner questions “gold standard” regulation after safety failings at drill site
Staff working for one of the leading contractors in the UK onshore oil and gas industry breached health and safety regulations and failed to follow best practice during a single routine task, the industry regulator has concluded.
Regulators accused of “extraordinary hands-off” approach to South Downs oil well
An oil exploration well in one of the most sensitive parts of the country has lacked scrutiny because of legal loopholes.
Fracking earthquake rules should be extended to other onshore oil and gas operations, MPs told
The risk of earthquakes from well operations such as acidisation, water reinjection and pressure release should be controlled in the same way as fracking, a parliamentary meeting heard today.
‘Gold standard’ regulation of UK onshore oil and gas is a joke, says MEP
UK oil and gas companies are regularly breaching regulation of their operations with little consequence, new research published today concludes.
“Unpleasant and biased” campaign against engineer cleared twice of misconduct over fracking debates
An engineer who has called for stricter regulation of fracking was subjected to a public campaign to discredit him, a disciplinary investigation by his professional body has noted.
MP launches bill to stop fracking earthquakes
A Conservative MP from a constituency with an Ineos shale gas site is seeking to introduce legislation to stop fracking companies causing earthquakes.
Obituary: Tony Almond, of the Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive has reported that Tony Almond, who worked on onshore oil and gas policy, has died following a heart attack.
Don’t relax my safety rules on fracking earth tremors – former energy secretary
A former energy secretary has urged the government to uphold the safety rules he introduced six years ago on fracking-induced earth tremors.
DRILL OR DROP? 