The Reply from the SOS12 Jun 2018 13:32
Dear Mr Berry,
Thank you for your email of 17 May 2018, addressed to the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, about
Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL).
The Secretary of State is delighted that you have taken the time to write to him and has asked
me to respond on his behalf.
It may be helpful if I explain that before a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence is
granted by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), the OGA scrutinises the operators� competency,
financial viability, environmental awareness and geotechnical knowledge. If a PEDL is
granted, it does not in itself give any direct permission for operations to begin.
Before the licensee can begin any operations such as drilling, hydraulic fracturing or
production, they must be granted a number of further permissions and consents. These
include, for example, planning permission, environmental permits from the Environment
Agency, scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive, and OGA consents under the provisions
of the PEDL.
Our regulatory system is in place to ensure that onshore oil and gas development can be
carried out in a robust and environmentally sound way, both for the environment and the local
communities that host hydrocarbon sites.
On planning, the Government remains fully committed to making planning decisions faster and
fairer for all those affected by new development, and to ensure that local communities are fully
involved in planning decisions that affect them. These are long standing principles.
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 May, the Government continues to commit
to identifying underperforming local planning authorities that repeatedly fail to determine oil
and gas applications within statutory timeframes. When any future applications for either oil or
gas are made to underperforming authorities, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities
and Local Government will consider whether he should determine the application instead.
I hope this addresses your concerns.