Petition on Cardigan Bay Oil/Gas Drilling

You may not have been previously aware that the DTI is currently considering application to explore and drill for oil/gas in Cardigan Bay - home to the bottlenose dolphin.

Not only is Cardigan Bay a designated Special Area of Conservation (a designation of European-level significance), there is only one other area of the UK where bottlenose dolphins are resident - Moray Firth in Scotland. This is a species listed in Annex II of the 1994 EC Habitats Directive, highlighting its special conservation needs and value. Oil and gas drilling in a conservation area is the antithesis of the world that we want to see - instead, the potential for ecotourism and renewables has yet to be properly realized.

A petition to the Prime Minister (see earlier post on petitioning Tony) is available to sign here. The basic text reads:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Prevent the selling of licences for oil and gas drilling in Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation, in the 24th round of offshore oil and gas licensing, due to: the potential damage to the resident dolphin population, as well as grey seals, harbour porpoises, and other rare wildlife; the impact on the tourism industry based in west Wales; and the visual impact on an area of scenic beauty.

"The Department for Trade and Industry is considering selling licenses for oil and gas exploration, in an area which has a resident bottlenose dolphin population and is therefore protected by law."

For more background on drilling in Cardigan Bay, I wrote a draft summary background paper on the subject for Friends of the Earth Cymru during the summer, which you're welcome to read if you want to - just email me.