15 October 2009
- The Australian Government and the company
responsible for the Montara oil spill have
struck an agreement for a long-term scientific
environmental monitoring program for the
area affected by the spill.
Minister for the Environment,
Peter Garrett, said the monitoring program
will provide a longer term understanding
of the impacts of the spill on the marine
environment, in addition to the operational
monitoring, surveillance and wildlife program
already underway in the region.
"The Australian
Government's oil spill operations to date
have focused on containment, clean up and
wildlife rescue," Mr Garrett said.
"But while we have been focusing our
operational response on the immediate impacts
of the spill, we have also been focused
on the need to ensure ongoing monitoring
of the potential impacts of this spill on
the marine environment.
"We have agreed
a comprehensive environmental program, funded
for at least two years by PTTEP, that will
provide the data required to measure, and
appropriately address, any of the longer
term environmental impacts of this disaster
— now and into the future."
Independent expert advice
from the Australian Institute of Marine
Science and the CSIRO was sought by the
Government on the detail of the plan as
well as state and territory agencies.
"This is a scientific
plan that will shape our ongoing environmental
response. The program includes marine life
surveying, wildlife and habitat studies,
water quality tests and shoreline ecological
assessments," Mr Garrett said.
"We are not only
interested in the immediate impacts of this
disaster, we will be carefully investigating
ecological changes that could indicate potential
impacts that need to be addressed.
"The Government
will continue to remain vigilant. Aerial
surveillance will continue daily — as it
has from day one, and trained wildlife observers
will remain onboard to report any sightings
of wildlife in the area until the clean
up is finished.
"We have environmental
experts and equipment in the region, watching
and caring for wildlife, and we have patrols
monitoring our marine reserves carefully.
"To date the immediate
impact on wildlife includes the death of
sixteen birds and we have not had any reports
of whales or dolphins in trouble.
Toxicology tests undertaken on fish specimens
to date show no contamination by oil.
"The Australian
Government is very focused on managing this
spill and the long-term protection our environment.
This agreement ensures any impacts will
be very carefully monitored well into the
future."
For more information go to www.environment.gov.au
