My submission - you may use what you want to make your own to [email protected] To the Dunedin City Council, Thank you for the opportunity to have a say on the oil & gas exploration off the Otago coast. I categorically oppose exploratory drilling for oil off the Otago coast for the following reasons: The event against an oil spill cannot ever be guaranteed and therefore this presents an inherent risk to any exploration and future commercial drilling. A risk can be minimised but as we have seen many times around the world oil spills do occur and are not rare events. They have devastating effects on marine life and industry that relies on clean oceans such as fishing and tourism, not to mention the lifestyles and income of people living on coastlines affected by oil spills from drilling and wells. These effects last decades or lifetimes. We do not know whether oil spills are ever completely cleaned up. Many scientists speculate and suspect that the oil after a clean-up and overtime sinks to the ocean floor. This will have an enormous and irreversibly negative effect on the health of our seas and oceans. People come and live in Dunedin for the lifestyle and not to live in a town spoilt by oil. Financial * An oil spill would ruin Dunedins annual $100 million tourist industry * We do not know the effects of exploratory drilling on fishes, wildlife and tourism. ...Potentially reducing or eliminating income from other sources of revenue. This could leave of us in the precarious position of over reliance on a single or few industry/ies namely the oil industry.... With a finite source of oil this is a less than desirable situation and economically an unsound position for any economy to be in * The cost to the NZ taxpayer to date is in excess of $46 million to subsidise exploration. At least some of this money is being withdrawn from public and social services by the current government. The most recent neonatal and maternity morbidity and mortality statistics shows deprivation is the biggest contributor to neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Deprivation is increasing at an alarming rate. Govt funding toward oil exploration and away from health and social services is a major contributor to the growing deprivation in our communities. *The majority of profits from any oil/gas found will mostly go to overseas owners and corporations not to the people of New Zealand. * It has not been shown that any profit to NZ from oil/gas will exceed the financial and social cost to our country. * The promise of high number of jobs is at least misleading. It has been shown in other countries and areas that oil drilling requires skilled workers. These skills are not found in any high numbers within the NZ workforce . So a skilled workforce is usually brought in from overseas. Once again earnings go offshore. * Oil is a carbon fuel the major contributor to CO2 emissions and climate change. It is finite. Therefore such risky and extensive investment in oil is both short sighted and does not make economical sense for the long-term wealth of Dunedin, Otago nor New Zealand. *How does hosting or having oil rigs affect our position in the Kyoto agreement? Will this incur an increased cost/expense to NZ citizens? * The cost of a clean-up from an oil spill is beyond any profit that the region will gain from exploration and/or drilling . * The Key govt has set aside only $10 million to cover the cost of an oil spill this is highly inadequate. A clean-up will range into billions of dollars and so it can be anticipated that the Otago region and Dunedin city would be expected to make a major financial contribution to the clean-up of an oil spill. *The majority of the profits from any oil/gas found goes to the overseas owners and corporations whilst New Zealand resources are diminished. This is equivalent to colonial imperialism of previous centuries that impoverished many nations. * We have not been advised by government what cost there may be to our region for infrastructure development in order to support oil/gas exploration. There is no guarantee that oil/gas industry will be viable nor provide sufficient profit to the region to cover the cost of increased infrastructure. Potentially further debt to an already debt burdened council. Environmental * Dunedin and Otago coast line is home and host to a number of endangered animals including but not exclusive to the yellow eyed penguin, the Royal Albatross, sea lions. We do not know what effect exploratory drilling will have on these animals. The noise, the presence of rigs, the sea traffic, the waste from rigs, machinery, the workings, the chemicals used (to name only a few ) all have a potential impact on the environment of these and other wild animals. With some of these animals in such a precarious position for survival the possibility of extinction cannot be understated. * The presence of oil/gas rigs present a visual pollutant to a town that prides itself on a green image. *Increased carbon footprint *The potential of an oil spill is always a possibility and the environmental effects of a spill cannot be under estimated on our wildlife and fauna Social * The Key government has removed many rights of New Zealanders to protest or have a say in on issues such as this. (It is now illegal to protest at sea, it is illegal to protest against commercial interest, the Key Govt is considering a law change which would allow applications by oil giants go through the Environmental Protection Agency, but they would be non-notified, which means members of the public would not get to have a say) I personally see this as a removal of one of my basic freedoms. If oil/gas are found off the Otago coast New Zealanders, Otago and Dunedin citizens will not have a legal opportunity to have any say nor be considered in any decision whether drilling for oil/gas should go ahead. * Many tourists come to Dunedin to see the Royal Albatross, seals on our beaches, yellow eyed penguins, clear blue ocean, unpolluted and uncluttered harbour. In short for our clean green image which would be irrevocably negated by the presence of oil& gas rigs around our shores. *What will the effect of a large influx of international workers be to our city? *I personally would leave Dunedin if oil exploration, and certainly drilling went ahead. Once again thank you for the opportunity to have a say on what I feel strongly opposed to. Fiona Heares 110 Cliffs Rd St Clair Dunedin fioanheares@gmail
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 11:03:08 +0000
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