Oil industry outlines cleanup strategy for Arctic spill
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
CALGARY— From Friday's Globe and Mail
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As the oil and gas industry works to convince Canada’s energy regulator that it can safely drill in the Arctic’s deep waters, it is proposing some creative – and controversial – methods to clean up spills in sea ice: using fires set from helicopters to burn oil and even the propeller blades of icebreakers to disperse it.
Filings submitted to the National Energy Board by Chevron Corp.(CVX-N99.59-1.64-1.62%) andImperial Oil Ltd. (IMO-T44.65-0.85-1.87%) provide a glimpse into how companies would respond to a massive leak like the BP Deepwater Horizon fiasco in a northern setting. They outline the use of numerous techniques, including “herding agents” designed to chemically coalesce oil slicks, as well as huge aircraft to spray dispersants and crews to burn oil.
The documents form part of the NEB’s Arctic Offshore Drilling Review, which is working to set new rules for the exploration of oil and gas in Canada’s Far North. For the oil industry, the Arctic offers an alluring new frontier, a place with the potential for major new finds. For the country, however, drilling in such a sensitive and iconic region has stirred up concern, particularly in the wake of the BP spill. And for critics, the industry’s bold cleanup plans give little cause for reassurance.
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