Jens Stoltenberg urged the parties to relax and assured that there will be no exploration and drilling activities in Nordland VI just after the election, to oil and energy Minister Borten Moe has decided.
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg (Labour Party) rejects the Party deputy Ola Borten Moe’s proposal to open to oil operations off Lofoten already in autumn.
As expected, there was a round of Lofoten and Vesterålen in the oral question time in Parliament on Wednesday. Stoltenberg urged the parties to relax and assured that there will be no exploration and drilling activities in Nordland VI just after the election, to oil and energy Borten Moe has decided.
Stoltenberg stressed that government policy is clear: no impact or some kind of oil operations in this period. He assured that the process will go forward quiet and phased for themselves, and that there will be no neck over head.
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There will be no isolated opening of the two dormant licenses in Nordland VI. Exploration and drilling would occur after an impact assessment of all the disputed areas: Nordland VI and VII and Troms II.
Not automatic
Labour Party’s program committee will examine the impact the Nordland VI, Nordland VII and Troms II.
The Labor Program Committee has proposed is that we should conduct a study of the consequences in the next parliamentary term. This does not lead automatically to the oil business. Whatever has not decided Ap. It will take place at the annual meeting in April, the Prime Minister said.
Lofoten case was taken up by the Christian Democratic Party leader Knut Arild Hareide that showed the firm opposition among environmental professional agencies, environmentalists and fishermen’s organizations. He wondered what the prime minister sitting on the information that the others have access to.
Stoltenberg said that one must distinguish between what is government policy, and what is each party’s program.
Protection
At the beginning of Parliament’s meeting delivered Liberal leader Trine Skei Grande a proposal to legal requirements permanent protection of the disputed waters. This was neither the Conservatives or the Progress Party support.
Nor Stoltenberg think this procedure has anything to offer.
– Durable protection is not an issue for us. The management of oil and gas resources is not based on that, he said at a press conference after question time.
The prime minister would not comment on speculation about a budding popular oil insurgency in the north. He allowed himself to not upset that SV-deputy and minister Bård Vegar Solhjell spent Wednesday with fishing for support in just Lofoten and Vesterålen.
One thing at a time
– Now we have to take things in the right order. If the program committee’s proposal is approved by congress, the next step is that it be presented to Parliament. Then we’ll decide what we want the oil business. We will do this gradually, as has been done by previous decisions on opening, stressed the Prime Minister.
He is a little unsure about the old licenses without any valid and will consult legal experts on this point. Ultimately, it is a political decision that the prime minister says he will take on a professional basis, therefore he supports the proposal impact.
– It would have been strange if I should not say anything on this issue. But congress is supreme and adopts the majority will, Stoltenberg said.
In a global context, he believes that the Norwegian oil and gas production will lead to more dropping coal in favor of gas.
– It is not good climate policies to limit the Norwegian oil and gas production. Perhaps there is even a negative effect, he adds.
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