Mess

Another Sticky Mess
North Sea oil rig image; Credit Shutterstock
New row bubbles over Scottish independence debate: who will foot bill for extensive North Sea clean-up when oil finally runs out?Scotland's leading oil economist, Professor Alex Kemp of Aberdeen University, has told Westminster's energy select committee that, because the majority of UK oil rigs are in Scottish waters, anindependent Scotland would be forced to foot a £30bn bill for decommissioning North Sea rigs, predicted for 2040.
Prof Kemp said: "There is no doubt about it, this will be an extra cost."
If Scotland winindependence, that extra cost would be payable by Scottish taxpayers.
Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing, however, rejected these claims outright, saying that the rest of the UK had a 'moralobligation' to contribute their share of the decommissioning costs.
The SNP member insisted a pro-independence referendum win would not wipe the slate of the benefits the UK has reaped from the rigs.He said: "Plainly, given the UK has received £170bn from oil by rigs that have been decommissioned, then the UK received revenue in respect of those rigs.
"It would seem to us reasonable to suggestthat having received all the revenue, which was accrued entirely in the UK, should in principal be the UK's responsibility.
"In principle, given that the UK has received substantial revenue fromthese rigs, it seems correct that the UK has a moral and certainly a legal duty to be responsible for decommissioning."
Fuelling the debate
Ewing's remarks have exacerbated the Scottish independencedebate. The energy select committee chairman, Tim Yeo said Mr Ewing was "living in cloud cuckoo land." He said: "There is no way that an independent Scotland could come back in 28 years to the rest ofthe UK and ask for the clean-up costs to be paid."
John Robertson, Labour MP for Glasgow North West couldn't believe that the Scottish Parliament wanted revenue from oil reserves while ensuring the...