The Department of Environment has prepared a memorandum of understanding to be signed with the Ministry of Oil in the near future, director general of DOE’s Environmental Assessment Office said.
Speaking in a meeting held to discuss environmental problems in Asalouyeh County in Bushehr Province, Hamid Jalalvandi said the MoU aims to bring the two entities closer and promote environmentally-friendly procedures, IRNA reported.
Jalalvandi noted that a draft agreement has been prepared to promote green crude extraction projects.
“Stopping gas flares, reviewing issued permits, resolving problems of waste treatment and encouraging cooperation between the ministry and DOE are included in the agreement,” he said.
The ministry and DOE have been at odds over a number of projects handled by the ministry, especially the oil extraction project in Hoor al-Azim Wetland in Khuzestan province.
Environmental experts and DOE officials have criticized the ministry for using outdated methods to extract oil, which has rendered the once thriving wetland dry and turned it into a major source of dust storms in the province.
In May, the department publicly voiced dismay over the construction of Zarghan Refinery 30 km from Shiraz in Fars Province. At the time, Jalalvandi said the refinery’s construction shows a “blatant disregard for the law” as it does not comply with environmental regulations, and threatened the ministry with legal action.
