A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia-based ‘Clean Ocean Action Committee’ calls the proposed rules “absurd”.
Director John Davis says they only found out about the changes that would affect regulations governing oil and gas extraction in Canada’s offshore and northern regions by chance.
He says the proposed changes include a shift from a prescriptive set of regulations to a performance-based model.
Davis says performance-based regulation are only designed for very minimal offshore development.
“It’s quite remarkable. It’s not appropriate. It’s a danger to anybody, any community and any industry which is dependent on renewable resources in those areas.”
Davis said proposed regulations include guidelines such as stopping the flow from an uncontrolled well “as soon as circumstances permit”.
He calls that “very disturbing”.
“We think it’s a danger to the renewable resources on the Scotian Shelf. We think the fishing industry and the coastal communities have a righto say “put the brakes on this.”
The ‘Clean Ocean Action Committee’ has written a lengthy letter to Jim Carr, the federal Minister of Natural Resources asking that the process be halted and restarted with the full participation of all offshore and Arctic Stakeholders and communities.
