Cairn Energy Oil Spill Response Plans Now Public

Responding to pressure from environmental groups around the world, Greenland has finally released Cairn Energy's oil spill response plans for public review.

Last month, Nature Canada joined 53 other international organizations – including Greenpeace, the David Suzuki Foundation, and Council of Canadians – in sending a letter to Greenland’s Prime Minister, Kuupik Kleist, expressing serious concern over the lack of transparency regarding Cairn’s operations in this unique and fragile region.

Bizarrely, the Greenland government argued it had been necessary to keep Cairn's contingency plans confidential until now because of the "unlawful actions aimed at the safety measures at oil exploration". Greenpeace has launched a number of protests at Arctic drilling operations over the past year.

Cairn's drilling operations -- which so far haven't yielded commercial amounts of oil and gas -- are a real gamble for the pristine wilderness of the Arctic. Walrus, seal, bowhead whale and polar bear habitats could be disrupted and entire remote communities wiped out if a toxic spill eliminates their means of subsistence living.

A spill in this region could be devastating to arctic seabird colonies feeding on the ice floes at Important Bird Areas along Nunavut’s northern coast, Baffin Island or as far south as Labrador. Ivory Gulls, Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Thick-billed Murres and many other seabird or water bird species would be at risk.

Cairn's oil spill response plans are being made public even as Shell has admitted that more than 200 tonnes of oil have entered the North Sea after a leak in a flow line leading to the Gannet Alpha oil platform 180 km off Aberdeen, Scotland.
 
In a wearily familiar refrain, the company had at first vastly underreported the scale of the leak, and as for plans to stop the flow? Apparently, the leak is in an "awkward" place, and there are hundreds of tonnes of additional oil in the pipeline, yet to pollute a world-famous colony of bottlenose dolphins in nearby waters.
 
Canada should heed these events and think long and hard before allowing any new offshore drilling, especially in the Arctic, and enact a plan to end our reliance on dirty, polluting fossil fuels in favour of responsible development of clean, renewable energy.

With each new spill, and each inadequate clean-up response, it becomes clearer that even with preventive measures in place, accidents are certain to occur, so it is important to identify places of great ecological significance and permanently protect them. Establishing a comprehensive system of marine and coastal protected areas is essential before development begins, so that irreplaceable natural habitats aren't lost forever to disastrous industrial accidents. Important Bird Areas and existing Migratory Bird Sanctuaries are good starting points to better protect habitats for birds that, in many cases, Canada shares with the rest of the hemisphere.

Is Cairn Energy Prepared for an Arctic Oil Spill?

We were all transfixed by the environmental destruction of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill last year. Yet, however bad the spill in the Gulf of Mexico was, almost everyone agrees a major spill in the Arctic sea would be worse. How much worse? Last November a report commissioned by the Pew Environment Group examined that question, and concluded a cleanup could take years – if it’s even possible at all. Efforts would be hampered by wintertime temperatures that can drop below minus 50 degrees Celsius, fierce Arctic storms, endless darkness and fog that shrouds the region for more than half the days of the year.


Yes, drilling in the Arctic is reckless, and dangerous – and something big oil companies are quite eager to do.

Case in point: Edinburgh-based oil and gas company Cairn Energy has plans to drill off the coast of Greenland – without making its oil spill response plan public. This is a document that an oil company has to draw up explaining how it would clean up a spill. They are nearly always made public, but Cairn is keeping its one secret.

On Thursday, Nature Canada joined 53 other international organizations – including Greenpeace, the David Suzuki Foundation, and Council of Canadians – in sending a letter to Greenland’s Prime Minister, Kuupik Kleist, expressing serious concern over the lack of transparency regarding Cairn’s operations in this unique and fragile region.

Cairn is gambling with the pristine wilderness of the Arctic. Walrus, seal, bowhead whale and polar bear habitats could be disrupted and entire remote communities wiped out if a toxic spill eliminates their means of subsistence living.

A spill in this region could be devastating to arctic seabird colonies feeding on the ice floes at Important Bird Areas along Nunavut’s northern coast, Baffin Island or as far south as Labrador. Ivory Gulls, Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Thick-billed Murres and many other seabird or water bird species would be at risk.

Our changing climate –due in large part to the burning of fossil fuels -- is melting the Arctic sea ice, changing the nature of one of the most remote, and vulnerable places on earth. It is time to place a moratorium on new offshore drilling, including the Arctic, and to end our reliance on dirty, polluting fossil fuels in favour of responsible development of clean, renewable energy.

Here in Canada, the Government should delay new off-shore drilling projects until a consistent, strictly enforced set of regulations is in place that protects the environment, oil and gas workers and coastal communities.

Even with preventive measures in place, accidents are certain to occur, so it is important to identify places of great ecological significance and permanently protect them. Establishing a comprehensive system of marine and coastal protected areas is essential before development begins, so that irreplaceable natural habitats aren't lost forever to unsustainable development projects and unforeseen accidents. Important Bird Areas and existing Migratory Bird Sanctuaries are good starting points to better protect habitats for birds that, in many cases, Canada shares with the rest of the hemisphere.

Proposed Boundaries Announced for Lancaster Sound National Marine Conservation Area

Source: Parks Canada

On Monday, the Ministers of Environment, Health, Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Natural Resources announced a potential boundary for the long-awaited Lancaster Sound National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) in Nunavut. We are looking forward to engaging in the consultation process to ensure that the final boundaries safeguard this area's rich biodiversity, and Important Bird Areas (IBA).

In the past we blogged about the Government of Canada's decision to go ahead with seismic testing in Lancaster Sound (a process known as the Mineral Energy and Resources Assessment (MERA) in which non-renewable resources are identified), despite strong opposition from High Arctic communities, Oceans North Canada, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and more than 11,000 Canadians. However, a few weeks later a Nunavut court granted an injunction to block the seismic testing, given the negative impacts it would have on the area's sensitive wildlife and ecosystems and the communities that depend on it.

We are pleased to know that the government has respected the views of the Inuit, and is carrying out an assessment based on already existing information - this means there will be no field studies done, and negative impacts avoided. Under the NMCA Act it is not a requirement to undertake a MERA. However, before an amendment is made to Schedule 1 (where NMCAs are listed or their descriptions changed) of the NMCA Act, results of any assessments for mineral and energy resources that have been undertaken (as per Section 7 (1) (C)) should be included in the report for the proposed marine conservation area or reserve. According to Parks Canada "work is underway to update an ecological overview of Lancaster Sound and an assessment of non-renewable resource potential, using existing information, but enough is known presently to enable announcing a federal position that will lead to discussions with the Government of Nunavut and consultations with local communities to proceed".

Interim withdrawal of lands beneath the seafloor of the proposed NMCA was the other significant part of the government’s announcement on Monday. During the consultation process "no exploration or development of petroleum resources will occur within the proposed boundaries. Once approved as a designated National Marine Conservation Area, the region will remain protected from industrial development, regardless of the resource potential” said Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis.

Lancaster Sound is located between Devon Island and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada and is home to a large variety of wildlife such as beluga, bowhead whales and harp seals. The region around Lancaster Sound includes bays, inlets and ice fields surrounded by high cliffs and spectacular fjords that stretch from Ellesmere Island to the Gulf of Boothia in the south, to the waters surrounding Cornwallis Island to the west.

This area has one of the highest concentrations of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic. Twenty IBAs are found inside or adjacent to the proposed protected area, providing key high arctic breeding habitat for large colonies of snow geese, ivory gulls, arctic terns and thick-billed murres. Protected areas like the one proposed at Lancaster Sound conserve some of our most important natural spaces, providing Canada and the world with clean air and water, abundant wildlife populations, and healthy communities and ecosystems.

Seismic Survey in Lancaster Sound Blocked

Yesterday, a Nunavut court granted an injunction to block the seismic testing that was to be carried out in Lancaster Sound - a proposed National Marine Conservation Area - this summer under the joint German-Canadian Eastern Canadian Arctic Seismic Experiment. However, the block is temporary given that the Federal Government may appeal the block or undertake a second round of consultations with the Inuit communities in the region.



The decision was reached because of the potential impacts on wildlife and local communities. Justice Sue Cooper, the judge behind the ruling, wrote “If the testing proceeds as planned and marine mammals are impacted as Inuit say they will be, the harm to Inuit in the affected communities will be significant and irreversible”. “The loss extends not just to the loss of a food source, but to loss of a culture. No amount of money can compensate for such loss.”



The Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the German partner, has accepted the decision and acknowledged that it is a Canadian issue.



We hope this experiment will not proceed in the Arctic and that Lancaster Sound will one day become a National Marine Conservation Area.

Harper Government Approves Seismic Survey in Lancaster Sound

Despite strong opposition from High Arctic communities, Oceans North Canada, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Parks Canada and more than 11,000 Canadians, the Harper Government has decided to proceed with the seismic testing in Lancaster Sound - a proposed National Marine Conservation Area - this summer. The seismic ship is on its way NOW!

This is very disappointing news for a number of reasons:

1) Plans to establish this NMCA have been ongoing for 30 years;
2) These surveys provide information on oil & gas deposits which will eventually entice industry to gear up for exploration and production in the Arctic. A spill similar to that in the Gulf of Mexico would have devastating consequences on the region's fragile ecosystems and wildlife; and
3) No consideration was given to the Inuit communities who are opposed to offshore oil drilling in the area, and whose livelihoods depend on the natural wealth of this area.


Voice your opposition by signing this letter to Prime Minister Harper!

Lancaster Sound is located between Devon Island and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada and is home to a large variety of wildlife such as belugas, bowhead whales and harp seals. The region around Lancaster Sound includes bays, inlets and ice fields surrounded by high cliffs and spectacular fjords that stretch from Ellesmere Island to the Gulf of Boothia in the south, to the waters surrounding Cornwallis Island to the west.

This area has one of the highest concentrations of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic. Twenty Important Bird Areas are found inside or adjacent to the proposed protected area, providing essential habitat for large colonies of snow geese, ivory gulls, arctic terns and thick-billed murres. Protected areas like the one proposed at Lancaster Sound conserve some of our most important natural spaces, providing Canada and the world with clean air and water, abundant wildlife populations, and healthy communities and ecosystems.

Seismic survey in proposed Lancaster Sound NMCA approved by Nunavut Impact Review Board

On December 18, 2009 the Geological Survey of Canada submitted a proposal to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) for their “Eastern Canadian Arctic Seismic Experiment (ECASE)”; a joint Canadian-German (the Alfred Wegener Institute for polar and marine research is the German partner) project that is aimed at collecting data regarding the evolution of the sedimentary basins in this region and tectonic plate motion between Canada and Greenland.

The experiment is set to take place in Jones Sound, Baffin Island and Lancaster Sound – a proposed National Marine Conservation Area. On May 21, 2010 the NIRB approved the project under the condition that the Geological Survey of Canada follows a set of recommendations, including those for waste management, wildlife and public consultations. NIRB also suggested that any seismic results for Lancaster Sound be submitted to Parks Canada and other agencies to assist them in identifying the existence of non-renewable resources – to be later used for the development of a mineral and energy resources assessment (this assessment plays a significant role in determining the boundaries of most parks). It is important to note that the data collected will inevitably provide information on the existence of oil and gas deposits in the region, thus increasing the interest in Arctic oil & gas exploration and production.

There has been opposition against the seismic survey by High Arctic communities and Oceans North Canada as they fear the potential impacts the seismic survey may have on the areas wildlife, of which some communities depend on for sustenance. The Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Parks Canada have also opposed the proceeding of any tests in Lancaster Sound as feasibility studies for an NMCA designation currently take place.

Lancaster Sound is located between Devon Island and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada and is home to a large variety of wildlife such as belugas, bowhead whales and harp seals. The region around Lancaster Sound includes bays, inlets and ice fields surrounded by high cliffs and spectacular fjords that stretch from Ellesmere Island to the Gulf of Boothia in the south to the waters surrounding Cornwallis Island to the west in Nunavut, Canada. This area has one of the highest concentrations of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic. Twenty Important Bird Areas are found inside or adjacent to the proposed protected area, providing essential habitat for large colonies of snow geese, ivory gulls, arctic terns and thick-billed murres. Protected areas like the one proposed at Lancaster Sound conserve some of our most important natural spaces, providing Canada and the world with clean air and water, abundant wildlife populations, and healthy communities and ecosystems.

Nature Canada fully supports and looks forward to the establishment of the Lancaster Sound NMCA.