Russian Environmental Politics by Ellie Martus

Author:Ellie Martus [Martus, Ellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Ethnic Studies, General, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781351679961
Google: Jk0rDwAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 34703318
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-07-06T02:46:14+00:00

Agenda setting and early developments

Oil spills had long been a key concern for environmentalists in Russia, with environmental groups advocating the introduction of measures to protect the ocean from oil pollution. A Greenpeace Russia publication from 2002, for example, examines the operations of oil companies in Russia and discusses the frequent spills and accidents that occur in the industry (Targulyan, 2002). As noted, three of the major ENGOs in Russia (Greenpeace, WWF, and Bellona) have programs targeted at the oil and gas sector, all with an emphasis on oil spills.

As part of their activities in this sphere, environmental groups had been urging the government to adopt a law to prevent oil spills for a number of years prior to the inclusion of the policy project on the government’s agenda in 2010. According to the WWF, the prospect of a dedicated law to address oil spills first emerged following a major oil spill in the Kerch Strait in November 2007. A WWF document from 2007 urged the development and submission to the Duma of a law which focused specifically on the prevention of oil spills (WWF Russia, 2007). In 2009, the WWF developed a Kontseptsiya Zakona (Law Concept), on the basis of which, according to the WWF, a decision was made by the government to develop a law (WWF Russia, 2014b). This suggests that environmental groups were instrumental in the addition of this policy project onto the government’s agenda.

The emergence of this policy project should also be seen within the context of Russia’s expansion of offshore hydrocarbon exploration.13 A Duma report of a parliamentary hearing from October 2010, for example, states that the risks of offshore oil production were high but essential in order to meet Russia’s domestic and export needs. The view from both industry and government evident at the hearing emphasised the need to balance economic development with environmental concerns, and for this to be reflected in legislation (Gosudarstvennaya Duma, 2010). The Gulf of Mexico disaster in April 2010 added extra impetus to addressing the potential environmental implications associated with offshore oil and gas development.14

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