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In 1999, the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) began a sequence of sectoral SEAs of the implications of further licensing of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) for oil and gas exploration and production. The first UK offshore Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA 1) was conducted by Hartley Anderson on behalf of the DTI in 1999/2000 in preparation for the 19th Licensing Round, covering the formerly disputed area between UK and Faroese waters (an area known as the "White Zone").
The DTI's second SEA (SEA 2), jointly project managed by Hartley Anderson and Geotek for the DTI, considered the environmental and socio-economic implications of a proposed licensing round covering the parts of the North Sea which contain the majority of the UK's existing oil and gas fields.
The practice of SEA is evolving and the process followed for SEA 2 built on the lessons learned during the first SEA, in particular, the facilitation of public consultation through a website and stakeholder dialogue workshop and the establishment of a steering group. In addition to project and technical management Hartley Anderson also prepared the assessment document used in public consultation and a variety of supporting materials. The public consultation phase on SEA 2 ended in early December 2001 and the 20th Licensing round was announced in early January 2002.
Full details of the SEA process and documentation can be found at www.habitats-directive.org , a website specially set up to promote transparency and facilitate public consultation.
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