Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) has approved a “geophysical operations authorisation” (GOA) application from a consortium of seismic survey interests to carry out 2D seismic work in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait.
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS), Petroleum GeoServices (PGS) and Multi Klient Invest AS (MKI) intend to conduct their campaign over five years during the open water season with MKI as project operator.
Anything to do with hydrocarbons exploration in the Arctic is now a sensitive issue for the NEB, which is keen to get as many stakeholders on board as possible.
Due to the high degree of public interest in this application, the NEB authorised one of its board members, David Hamilton, to report and make recommendations on the project application.
The public was then invited to submit written comments to the board and provide oral comments on the intended project at public meetings.
NEB conducted public meetings at Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq and Iqaluit from April 29 to May 2 last year.
Transcripts from the meetings and all environmental assessment materials were made available on the NEB website on the project’s public registry pages.
It turns out that never before has there been this level of public participation in the board’s environmental assessment process for a GOA, such are the sensitivities about Big Oil and its push to get at Arctic oil and gas resource.
The environmental assessment report concluded that with the implementation of MKI’s commitments, environmental protection procedures and mitigation measures, and compliance with the board’s regulatory requirements and conditions, the project is not likely to result in significant adverse environmental effect.
The GOA issued by NEB is subject to 15 conditions. They include obliging MKI to make status updates of environmental commitments and marine mammal observer reports accessible to the public.
The marine mammal observer reports may provide information on sightings of whales and birds in offshore areas that would not otherwise be available to the public.
MKI is also required to conduct project update meetings in interested communities.
The National Energy Board is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada’s energy industry with the safety of Canadians and protection of the environment as its top priority.
Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest.
It is not known whether the Canadian government will impose special restrictions on the choice of survey vessels though the presumption appears to be that it will not.
Over the past couple of years, highly restrictive cabotage laws have been relaxed whereas, under the Jones Act dating from the 1920s, the US continues to impose rigid rules.
A relaxation would enable the three companies to choose the survey ship/s they really want rather than be forced into a limited choice of vintage Canadian flag tonnage.
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