Guri Melby’s no to oil exploration is not shared by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Iselin Nybø

There is an internal disagreement on oil policy among liberal ministers. Iselin Nybø doesn’t want a quick stop in the exploration business.

Should Norway continue to explore oil and gas, or should we stop doing this for the sake of the climate? That question divides the Liberal Party politicians into different levels of the party.

The next leader of the Liberal Party, Guri Melby, chairs the committee that is now working on creating a new party program for the party. This will apply during the 2021-2025 period. As Aftenposten mentioned, it supports a proposal with the following wording:

“The whole world must switch from the use of fossil fuels to renewable energy. Therefore, we are unable to grant further exploration and production licenses on the Norwegian platform. “

– I think the program committee with this follows by far the line that the Liberal Party has taken in recent years, Melby said in an email to Aftenposten.

She believes that the Liberal Party needs a coherent climate and oil policy.

Nybø doesn’t want an immediate search stop

The proposal to stop future oil exploration will be presented by the majority in the first draft of a new program. But there is no agreement on this line, neither in the program committee nor among the party leaders.

The Minister of Commerce and Industry and Rogaland Iselin Nybø reveals that she is skeptical of such a line.

– I agree that we must readjust. But I don’t necessarily agree that we should finish the whole scan right away, write to Aftenposten in an SMS.

To a follow-up question on whether this means that you do not agree with the wording on stopping granting more E&P licenses, please answer the following: yes.

Working to moderate the statement

Nybø is online with Rogaland Venstre program committee member Mia Bruvik. She states that she and some other committee members will come up with alternative wording.

– I and several others want it to be still possible with oil exploration, but that strict environmental requirements must be established for future exploration and extraction, he says.

She believes that the most important thing is to protect vulnerable areas, and that future oil and gas extraction must be done in the most environmentally friendly way.

It will operate in areas with a low CO₂ footprint

You want a formulation in which there is no desire to stop all exploration. Instead, he believes the Liberal Party should step in to limit new production licenses to areas with a low CO₂ footprint.

– What does this mean, where do you think this is?

– I don’t dare to answer that at all, but that’s where there shouldn’t be big greenhouse gas emissions, he says.

She confirms that she has liberal politicians from Møre og Romsdal and Sogn og Fjordane on the committee when she works for their views.