Arctic oil rush premature

Yesterday, the federal government “placed 905,000 hectares of the northern offshore up for bids, clearing the way for energy companies to snap up exploration rights for an area half the size of Lake Ontario,” as reported in today’s Globe and Mail.
 

An offshore drilling platform connected to land by a bridge, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, United States. © National Geographic Stock/ James P. Blair / WWF


This comes just a day after I spoke at the House Standing Committee on Natural Resources about offshore oil and gas development in Arctic waters.  My primary message was about the importance of thoughtful, sustainable development in the Arctic, based on sound scientific knowledge and proper planning.
I noted that:

“WWF recognizes and supports the need for carefully planned economic development in the Arctic, in particular development that provides long-term sustainable benefits to northerners. We also acknowledge that Arctic development is being contemplated in the context of a projected nationwide growth of 500 new projects in the coming decade, attracting $500 billion in new investments. More than ever, now is the time for our Government to step forward and demonstrate convincingly to Canadians that there is a regulatory and policy regime in place that is equal to the task of planning, assessing and implementing these new projects in a manner that conserves key environmental and cultural values and minimizes conflicts with other social, economic and environmental objectives.”

Industry’s renewed interest in offshore exploration in the Arctic seems surprising and premature, given that industry has yet to demonstrate that it can drill safely under harsh Arctic conditions.  Without a proven effective alternative to a Same Season Relief Well, the economics of offshore drilling are questionable even under optimum conditions, and in the event of a spill there are no effective response measures in ice-infested Arctic waters.
This is not the right time to rush headlong into risky oil exploitation ventures.  Now is the time to strengthen our understanding of how the Beaufort ecosystem is changing due to climate change, and to plan for long-term stewardship of Arctic resources for the benefit of communities and the environment.