Fish farms protest oilfield restart - BUSINESS - Globaltimes.cn

Fish farms protest oilfield restart - BUSINESS - Globaltimes.cn: 

by Song Shengxia

"More than 200 farmers in North China's Hebei Province have petitioned the country's top economic planner to suspend offshore oil operations by US firm ConocoPhillips in Bohai Bay, farmers and lawyers confirmed Tuesday.

A total of 208 fish farmers in the Caofeidian district of Tangshan in Hebei, who claim to be victims of oil spills from the Conoco-operated field in Bohai Bay, are asking the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to take back oil drilling rights from ConocoPhillips, according to a letter obtained by the Global Times Tuesday from lawyers acting on behalf of the farmers.
The Caofeidian farmers also asked the NDRC to order ConocoPhillips to compensate for losses caused by pollution from the oil spills.

They claimed they lost about 500 million yuan ($80.45 million) from damage to their fisheries, but unlike farmers in nearby Laoting county, they received no compensation, according to the letter.

The letter comes on the heels of ConocoPhillips resuming operation in the Penglai oilfield in February after the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) approved the field's revised development and production plan and environmental impact assessment following the oil spills. "


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