North Sea oil spil deeply disturbing

Responding to news that Shell has reported an oil spill at its Gannet Alpha platform about 180 km from Aberdeen close to the UK shore at the North Sea, Juliet Swann, Head of Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:

“Given the massive economic importance of the North Sea to Scotland’s rural and business economy, the news that there has been an oil spill in our seas is deeply disturbing.

“Friends of the Earth Scotland strongly feels that the ongoing exploitation of increasingly hard to drill oil in the North Sea is potentially hugely damaging to Scotland’s coastal communities, fishing industry and economy.

“Any spill, however small, should serve as a warning sign and encourage us to look to a clean, renewable energy future, rather than continuing to invest in dirty oil.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact:
 Per Fischer, Press Office, Friends of the Earth Scotland t: 0131 243 2719 

Notes to Editors

Shell fights North Sea oil spill: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14513509

Friends of the Earth Scotland is
* Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation
* An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland
* Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 77 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups – covering every continent.
www.foe-scotland.org.uk