Weald Action Group

We have submitted a damning response  to the government consultation on the revised Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Rosebank oil field, a reassessment triggered when the Scottish courts ruled the previous approval unlawful. This was a direct consequence of our 2024 Supreme Court win (Finch v Surrey County Council), which established that downstream “scope 3” emissions must be fully assessed for fossil fuel developments.

Continue reading “Weald Action Group response to the consultation on Rosebank”

Press release from the UK Methane Campaign

The UK Methane Campaign welcomes the release of the UK’s Methane Action Plan as a long-awaited and important step toward tackling a major driver of global warming. We are pleased to see the government reaffirming its commitment to reduce methane emissions and continue to play a stronger international role in encouraging other countries to follow suit.

While this marks progress, the Methane Action Plan does not go far enough. Efforts have been focused on offshore production, but it’s crucial that the onshore oil and gas sector is not left behind. Methane emissions from onshore remain a significant source of climate pollution, and ensuring that forthcoming regulations apply equally across both onshore and offshore activities will be essential if the UK is to truly lead on methane action.

Continue reading “UK Methane Campaign response to UK’s Methane Action Plan”

The UK Methane Campaign is inviting organisations to sign a letter to Secretary of State Ed Miliband, urging the UK to lead with strong, enforceable methane regulations ahead of COP30.

Continue reading “Add Your Voice: Urgent Call for Strong Methane Regulations”

One year ago today we won a landmark climate victory in the Supreme Court.

The case, which campaigner Sarah Finch brought on behalf of the Weald Action Group, concerned planning permission that Surrey County Council had granted for a small oil site at Horse Hill in Surrey.

Continue reading “One year on: reflections on our landmark legal victory”

Following our Supreme Court win last year, the government has been forced to rethink its approach to consenting new oil and gas developments in the North Sea.

Today they issued new guidance for oil and gas companies which means that when seeking consent for new developments, they must now reveal the amount of CO2 that will be released from burning the oil and gas they plan to extract.

Continue reading “New government guidance on assessment of offshore oil and gas sites is a big step forward”

The Weald Action Group responded to the government’s recent consultation on widespread policy changes that will determine the future of energy production in the North Sea.

While primarily about the North Sea, the consultation also covered onshore oil and gas production too. (The onshore part relates to England only, unlike the rest of the consultation.)

Continue reading “The future of energy production in the North Sea and beyond: our response”

Our victory in the Supreme Court last June (Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group v. Surrey County Council) has had far-reaching results for the UK fossil fuel sector.

Within weeks of the Judgment,  the impacts began to be seen at other sites. One of the first was Biscathorpe in Lincolnshire. On 11 July 2024, the government and the oil company, Egdon Resources, conceded a High Court challenge against oil production there. As in the ‘Finch’ case, the carbon emissions from the use of the oil had not been taken into account when planning permission was granted on appeal.

Now the case has gone back to the Planning Inspectorate for redetermination. This will be the first time an application for fossil fuel production will be considered following the landmark Supreme Court judgment.

Continue reading “First formal assessment of carbon emissions from burning oil: have your say”

The 2024 Supreme Count judgment on the case Weald Action Group’s Horse Hill case is a key factor

Scotland’s Court of Session has today ruled that the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields were approved unlawfully. Consent for their development has been quashed.

Continue reading “Huge win for the climate as Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields are ruled unlawful”

A new study by UCL researchers suggests that oil production at Horse Hill well may have triggered a series of over 100 small earthquakes in Surrey during 2018 and 2019.

Monitoring by seismologists plotted the epicentres between Newdigate and Charlwood, just 3km from the Horse Hill drill site and 8km from Brockham.

Continue reading “UCL Researchers Link Surge in Surrey Earthquakes to Oil Drilling”

The UK government is developing new guidance on environmental impact assessments for new offshore oil and gas projects. This is a direct result of our win in the Supreme Court.

Thanks to our campaign on the Horse Hill oil extraction site in Surrey, fossil fuel developers and regulators can no longer ignore the huge climate pollution caused by burning the oil and gas they produce. And that applies equally to the North Sea fields. From now on, when companies apply to develop oil and gas fields, they must include a full assessment of these emissions (called “Scope 3”) in their Environmental Statements, and OPRED (the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning) must take them into account before approving any new drilling. The UK is not approving new offshore oil and gas fields while the new guidance is being developed. 

The government consulted on its draft and the Weald Action Group submitted a response to the consultation.

Sarah Finch, who brought the brought the legal case on Horse Hill, on behalf of the Weald Action Group, also submitted a response.

Continue reading “We call for “clarity and consistency” for local authorities over assessment of scope 3 emissions for onshore oil & gas”