Russian Environmental Prosecutor Eyeing 17 Oil Companies

Oct. 24, 2006
Operational licenses at stake.

Russian environmental prosecutors are considering canceling licenses for 17 oil companies, including a subsidiary of state oil firm Rosneft, a top environmental. Rosneft-Puneftgaz may lose five licenses as a result of the cases, Sergei Sai, the head of environmental monitoring agency Rosprirodnadzor.

Russian environmental agencies have launched a massive campaign of environmental checks and threatened license removals in recent weeks, frequently at the initiative of Oleg Mitvol, the deputy head of Sai's agency.

"Licenses should be removed only in the most extreme, flagrant cases -- otherwise economic measures against negligent companies should be used, " RIA Novosti quoted ministry official Sergei Fedorov as saying. An initial wave of pressure against major foreign oil companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil and Total led to complaints by foreign officials of possible unfair treatment.

Agencies have since targeted Russian groups such as number one private oil producer Lukoil and GazpromNeft, the oil-producing branch of state gas monopoly Gazprom. The companies are accused of having failed to respect environmental norms in their activities, but many analysts see the initiative as part of a longstanding trend of tightening government control over the energy sector.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!