(VACNE) - From the perspective of a multi-year expert in responding to environmental incidents, Mr. Pham Van Son, Secretary General of the Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment Protection (VACNE), Director of the Vietnam Environmental Incident Response Center (SOS) stated his comments at the "Workshop on the Revised Petroleum Law
These are very specific opinions, aimed at tightening management, limiting the "unexplained" oil spills that often occur offshore and then enter the central and southern coasts of our country causing great economic damage and long-term environmental consequences.
According to experts, so-called "unexplained" oil spills are taking place quite commonly in recent times. This phenomenon can be caused by illegal oil-containing waste from marine vessels circulating in international waters, or due to technical problems in drilling, exploration, development, exploitation of oil and gas, clean-up of oil and gas works...
Mr. Pham Van Son, General Secretary of Vietnam Association for Nature and Environment Protection spoke
at the workshop
With the sense of well implementing the Government's direction "not to trade the environment for the economy" and strengthening the responsibilities of management agencies and units operating in the field of oil and gas, Expert Son proposed to clarify and add to this important Law some of the following contents:
1. Organizations and individuals conducting petroleum activities must:
- Formulate and submit to the appraisal management agency for approval the plan for prevention and emergency response to environmental incidents;
- Implement an environmental incident emergency prevention and response plan after approval
2. Management agencies (it is necessary to clearly determine which agency or ministry) have the responsibility to:
- Appraisal and approval of plans for prevention and emergency response to environmental incidents of organizations and individuals conducting petroleum activities;
- Check the actual assessment before appraising and approving the plan for prevention and emergency response to environmental incidents; Actually check the implementation of the plan of the organization or individual after the appraisal and approval./.