Topic: Impact and Safety of Deep Water Drilling
Country: Saudi Arabia
Delegate Name: Sydney Young
School: Northville High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Saudi Arabia position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
Saudi Arabia believes that the majority of international regulations on deep water oil rigs are not necessary, aside from those which would protect neighboring countries from another nation's oil spill. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in upmost support of protecting the environment, as evidenced by the existence of its General Environment Law and its Meterology and Environmental Protection Agenct (MEPA). However, Saudi Arabia feels that expending international resources to regulate most deep water oil rigs would be a waste. The only rigs that should face regulation are those that have the potential to negatively affect other countries if a spill were to occur. These regulations would include provisions such as requiring that the rigs be reviewed by organizations other than those of the nation that it belongs to; these kinds of reviews would be required before the rig is able to begin use in order to prevent disasters from occurring as soon as the rig starts up. This type of regulation comes at no cost to the original rig owner, but it allows for nearby nations to feel confident about oil drilling conducted by neighboring countries. Another type of regulation that Saudi Arabia supports involves requiring offshore oil rigs to be sealed properly, thus preventing any leaks. When an oil rig is sealed, inspection from its home nation would be sufficient for determining that it is safe to be left alone; however this kind of self-checking should be required. In summary, Saudi Arabia is in favor of minimal regulation of deep water oil drilling.
