Publication Name
Globe and Mail
Author(s)
Shawn McCarthy
The federal energy regulator is easing a controversial regulation that oil companies say would prevent exploration in the ice-plagued Arctic offshore, but is promising to impose a high bar for environmental protection before it permits drilling.
After an 18-month review the National Energy Board said it would maintain its controversial relief-well regulation, but would give companies a de facto exemption if they can demonstrate they have alternative methods to quickly kill a blowout.
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“The problem with the report is that it is not clear what they will accept as a fallback from the same-season relief well,” said Trevor Taylor, policy adviser at the Pew Centre’s Oceans North Canada group, which participated in NEB roundtables over the past year.
“The door is definitely ajar and therein lies the problem … It’s still not clear what you need to do in order to drill in the Arctic.”
Read the full article, NEB Set to Allow Alternative for Relief-Well Rule in Arctic, on the Globe and Mail website.