Establishment of “Control” Zones in Environmental Monitoring Programs for Investment Projects in the Hydrocarbons Subsector

Abstract

Peruvian legislation regulates programs for the prevention, protection, control and remediation of negative impacts on marine-coastal ecosystems that may be generated by the implementation of hydrocarbon subsector projects. However, the lack of environmental information related to vulnerable marine-coastal zones in the event of a possible oil spill is a serious problem. This limits the assessment of real-world post-accident environmental effects and, consequently, makes it difficult to calculate the penalties for those responsible. Having analyzed the monitoring conducted in the areas affected by the oil spill that occurred at the La Pampilla refinery in January 2022, and after confirming the limited availability of environmental data prior to the spill, we propose that the owners of hydrocarbon subsector projects establish monitoring points in vulnerable areas that can be considered «control» zones in their monitoring programs, pre-identified in their environmental management instruments with the aid of environmental sensitivity maps.