Interior Dept. Warns Shell on Arctic Drilling
John M. Broder, New York Times, March 14, 2013
WASHINGTON — The Shell Oil Company must provide a detailed plan addressing numerous safety and operational issues that plagued its efforts to extract oil beneath the Arctic Ocean last year if it wants to resume drilling off the coast of Alaska, the Interior Department said Thursday.
Feds eye central Arctic exploration
Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, Feb. 28 2013
OTTAWA — The federal government is opening a vast new frontier for oil and gas activity in Nunavut’s high Arctic with a call for companies to indicate their interest in bidding for exploration rights.
Canada’s Arctic leadership stint worries drillers, shippers and environmentalists
Paul Koring, The Globe and Mail, Jan. 31 2013
WASHINGTON — Canada will begin a two-year stint at the helm of the eight-nation Arctic Council amid a clamour of competing calls for leadership, as the ice recedes and the race heats up to extract resource riches while protecting a fragile and now-exposed environment.
Weather continues to prevent assessment of damage to Shell drill rig
Richard Mauer & Lisa Demer, Anchorage Daily News, January 1, 2012
Update, 10:15 a.m. Wednesday:
More flyovers are planned for Wednesday to assess the condition of the Shell drilling rig Kulluk, which sits grounded on Sitkalidak Island, off Kodiak.
Shell drill rig aground off Kodiak, appears to be intact
Lisa Demer, Anchorage Daily News, January 1, 2013 (18:34 PST)
BP granted exploration rights off Nova Scotia
Keith Doucette, The Star, 16 Nov 2012
HALIFAX — BP has been granted the right to explore in Nova Scotia’s offshore after the energy giant submitted a $1 billion bid, the highest ever accepted for deepwater exploration rights in Atlantic Canada.
Lessons aplenty for Shell Oil after first Arctic 'drilling season'
Alex DeMarban, Alaska Dispatch, Oct 11, 2012
Believing the U.S. Arctic Ocean contains one of the world's richest undiscovered oil and gas plays, Royal Dutch Shell is already considering what it will take to ship vast amounts of oil across Alaska.
Oil and Ice Don't Mix - The Risks of Drilling in Alaska's Arctic Ocean
Kiley Kroh & Michael Conathan, Climate Progress / Video Report, August 20 2012
Offshore oil rigs drilling deeper than ever
Andrew Callus, Reuters, Globe and Mail, Aug. 14 2012
LONDON — Booming like never before, the offshore oil and gas industry is exploring ever deeper into the ocean and drilling further under the sea bed, bringing strikes like one this week off Brazil, which may be one of the biggest yet in the region.
Ohio Governor Signs Executive Order Prohibiting Oil and Gas Drilling in Lake Erie
EcoWatch, June 11 2012
On July 11, Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed an Executive Order prohibiting the Ohio Department of Natural Resources from “issuing any permit, license or lease allowing” oil and gas drilling in or under Lake Erie.
Biologists call for action to stop multiple oil and mud spills off Newfoundland
By Sue Bailey, The Canadian Press, July 4, 2012
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - More than 34,000 litres of oil and drilling mud that spilled off Newfoundland last year are a threat to wildlife that highlights a need for more offshore oversight, say biologists.
Drillers face first class-action suit for triggered temblors
Mike Soraghan, E&E EnergyWire, July 5, 2012
What may be the first class-action suit against oil and gas companies for unleashing earthquakes is working its way through the federal courts in Arkansas.
Oil industry workers oppose drilling near their Calgary suburb
By , The Tyee, April 19, 2012
Oil industry outlines cleanup strategy for Arctic spill
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE, Globe and Mail, Jun. 09, 2011
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.
Danish commandoes wade into Greenpeace Arctic oil protest
John Vidal, guardian.co.uk, May 24, 2011
Armed forces called in to prevent environmentalists interfering with Cairn Energy's exploration of Arctic waters
A battle for the Earth’s last remaining frontier
by Philip Radford, Grist, 10 May 2011
There are clear signs that a new Arctic oil rush has begun. Earlier this month, Shell submitted plans to the U.S. government for new drilling in the icy waters off Alaska's north coast, and now a Scottish company has won permission to take a similar gamble near Greenland. Tomorrow, Hillary Clinton will fly to the picturesque town of Nuuk in Greenland to discuss how spill response equipment might work in one of the world's most extreme and beautiful environments. I can save her the trip -- it won't.
B.C. launches royalty break to encourage development
Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, February 18, 2011
The provincial government has launched another $120-million round of tax breaks for natural-gas producers to encourage them to build extraction infrastructure, Energy Minister Steve Thomson announced Thursday.
Russia Embraces Risky Offshore Arctic Drilling
By ANDREW E. KRAMER and CLIFFORD KRAUSS, New York Times, February 15, 2011
MOSCOW — The Arctic Ocean is a forbidding place for oil drillers. But that is not stopping Russia from jumping in — or Western oil companies from eagerly following.
West Coast senators push Pacific shore drilling ban
Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2011
Democratic senators from the California, Oregon and Washington state launched a new drive Tuesday to ban drilling off the Pacific coast but face long odds of getting the bill past the House’s new Republican majority, especially at a time of high gasoline prices.
U.S. panel urges major offshore drilling reform
SHAWN McCARTHY, Globe and Mail, Jan. 11, 2011
A presidential panel on BP PLC’s (BP-N46.840.811.76%) Gulf of Mexico blowout is urging a major overhaul of the industry and government’s approach to offshore drilling both in the Gulf and in Arctic waters.
Critics urge B.C. to confirm offshore oil ban
CBC News, December 10, 2010
Critics are applauding news that offshore drilling is not a priority for the B.C. government —but they are also urging the province to confirm a federal moratorium will stay in place.
West Coast oil exploration not on B.C. agenda
CBC News, December 9, 2010
B.C.'s new energy minister says he has no plans to open up the West Coast to oil and gas exploration, as this drillship is doing off the coast of Louisiana in 2006. B.C.'s new energy minister says he has no plans to open up the West Coast to oil and gas exploration, as this drillship is doing off the coast of Louisiana in 2006. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)
Imperial wants extension for Arctic drilling
SHAWN McCARTHY, Globe and Mail, Nov. 11, 2010
Imperial Oil Ltd. (IMO-T38.35-0.32-0.83%) wants more time to fulfill its ambitious drilling commitments in the far north, noting that two years have been lost while the National Energy Board struggles with rules for Arctic drilling.
Ottawa powerless to halt offshore drilling alone
Andrew Mayeda, National Post, Nov. 3, 2010
OTTAWA — Canada’s natural resources minister has been warned by officials in his department that the federal government would be powerless to unilaterally halt offshore drilling projects in areas where regulatory oversight is shared with the provinces, Postmedia News has learned.
Exploration for natural gas causes consternation in Quebec
Les Perreaux, Globe and Mail, August 30, 2010
In most places west of Manitoba, the arrival of yet another oil or gas drilling rig is cause for little notice or concern. In Quebec, a half dozen gas wells and the potential of hundreds more may be about to set off a new kind of identity crisis.
