Many thanks to Eric Martin of Surrey for sharing the following insight into BP’s early adoption of environmental assessments and his role in these.
“Earlier this month [July]”, Eric writes, ”I found myself talking to the Men’s Group at my local church [about] how in the years when I worked for BP (1960 to 2000) it had been a world leader in environmental management and protection.
“I was born into BP as my father (Ron Martin) was working at Llandarcy Refinery before moving to Sunbury. I was lucky enough to be a BP university apprentice — which was how I managed to get in forty years of service.
“I started work as a Research Chemist at Sunbury, but after a few years transferred to what became Group Environmental Services. Over the next fifteen years, I carried out many Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Audits and provided assistance to the BP businesses of the time. My colleagues and I were much in demand to give talks to many learned bodies on the environment, as BP was an acknowledged expert in the field. These talks always included warnings on climate change, which was also highlighted by the Chairmen of the time.
“I also spent many years advising on environmental protection for the Wytch Farm oilfield, assisting in the design process and writing two of the EIAs, which led to the planning approval for the development in a most environmentally sensitive area and its subsequent expansion offshore Bournemouth. Wytch Farm has operated for nearly 35 years (BP sold out in 2011} as western Europe’s largest onshore oilfield and has produced over 65 million tons of oil — over 90% of UK onshore oil — largely unnoticed and out of sight, despite being in a prime tourist location. So out of sight that the BBC’s Springwatch programme was largely filmed almost in the field!
“I spent my last eight years with BP seconded to CONCAWE in Brussels, the European downstream oil industry association for health, safety and environment.
“However, what prompted this letter was the History of Grangemouth in the August edition of bps news and the description of the Effluent Treatment Plant. I carried out an environmental audit of BP Oil’s UK operations, in which I pointed out that the quality of the Grangemouth effluent to the Forth was not as required by BP Oil’s own environmental policy — which I believe was a factor in starting the ball rolling!”