Preventing Oil Pollution – Consequences from the Oil Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? Descriptor D8 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive demands: “Concentrations of contaminants are at levels not giving rise to pollution effects”. This requirement seems absurd as regards oil pollution. After an explosion at the end of April 2010 the British Petroleum (BP) oil platform Deepwater Horizon sank into the Gulf of Mexico. According to American authorities’ estimates, approximately 780 million litres of oil have flowed uncontrolled into the sea since then, destroying or damaging large areas of flora and fauna. The consequences for different coastal and marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico are serious and remain unforeseeable up until the present for certain habitats like the deep sea. There are currently around 700 oil and gas production installations in the North-East Atlantic, some of which are over 20 years old [16]. In view of the events in the Gulf of Mexico, the regulations, safety, technical and liability standards for these European installations need to be thoroughly examined. UBA demands that offshore oil and gas production meet the following criteria: Creation of high safety standards world-wide as a component of certified safety management systems as well as their monitoring by supervisory authorities, Establishment of emergency management, Creation of an infrastructure to combat leaked oil and other harmful substances, Creation of a fund to cover the financial consequences of incidents, Establishment of appropriate liability limits, Guarantee of a fast incident information flow. As harmful as accidents like the one in the Gulf of Mexico are, they are not the main path by which oil is introduced to the sea. Estimates show that only a little more than one tenth of the oil introduced into the seas comes from accidents involving platforms and tankers. The by far larger share is put in by shipping (legal and illegal dumping), municipal sewage, the daily operation of oil platforms, and from natural sources in the sea. As part of the implementation of the MSFD it is crucial to also reduce these sources using suitable measures. Careful Use of Wind Power The Federal Government of Germany wants to increase the share of renewable energies in power generation to at least 30 percent by 2020. For this, the use of wind power in the North and Baltic Seas is also to be expanded. Numerous offshore wind farms are being planned, each consisting of several wind turbines. As of July 2010, 23 offshore wind farms had been approved in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea and three more in the Baltic Sea. Altogether, the wind farms include 1,808 individual wind turbines. In order to
learn about the effects of wind farms, so far only projects with a maximum of 80 wind turbines have been approved. They form the basis for deciding on further expansion. Their construction and operation are closely monitored under ecological aspects. UBA is involved in the licensing of offshore wind energy plants (technical and organisational measures for reducing environmental effects of offshore wind energy plants related to their construction, operation and dismantling), and promotes an environmentally compatible expansion of offshore wind power. This includes the development of technical solutions for avoiding bird strike, for example by optimising traffic safety lighting. During the construction phase it is above all the noise which drives sea mammals from their usual biotopes. UBA therefore develops “ecological guard rails” for the evaluation of wind energy plants in the areas of hazard protection and precautionary environmental protection. 45