To honour our 30th anniversary, we will be posting articles throughout 2020 that celebrate our various milestones and achievements. This article is part of our 30th anniversary series.
In 1990, the federal Canada Oil and Gas Lands Administration and the Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy transferred their offshore management responsibilities to the newly created Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board (CNSOPB).
COMMENT: CNSOPB is not credible – they do not have the expertise necessary to regulate the offshore to ensure health, safety and environmental protection.
COMMENT: CNSOPB officials have been canvassing south shore municipal councillors to garner support for industry. This is a conflict for the regulator.
COMMENT: BP Canada is underestimating the probability of a blow-out event. It has been pointed out that the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was caused by a faulty BOP, so they are not a reliable tool to stop an oil spill. If it failed in the past, it is naïve to think it won’t happen again.
COMMENT: BP Canada’s Scotian Basin Exploration Drilling Project doesn’t have the same level of scrutiny that is applied to offshore projects located off the coast of Norway or the United Kingdom.
FACT: Canada’s offshore oil and gas regulatory framework is similar to that which is in place in Norway and the United Kingdom.
The regulatory framework in each of these jurisdictions is characterized by:
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board ensures that all oil and gas activity carried out in our offshore area is done safely and responsibly. It’s not a task we take lightly. And when it comes to the authorization of any proposed offshore activity, we go to great lengths to ensure operators meet strict requirements before any work may begin.
Here are the four key things you need to know about how we authorize the work that an offshore operator may propose to carry out.
When it comes to exploratory drilling programs that an operator proposes to conduct, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board goes to great lengths to ensure that operators meet strict requirements before they may be granted an authorization to commence any offshore work. We also make sure that effective monitoring programs are in place to confirm compliance during the execution of a drilling program.
The Scotian Basin Exploration Drilling Project is no exception.
Like any proposed oil and gas activity to take place in the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore area, an Operator must obtain an authorization from the CNSOPB in order to commence operations. Completion of an environmental assessment (EA) does not grant authorization to conduct a seismic program – it is just one step in support of the application process.
The EA has to consider the entire seismic study area in detail. For multi-year seismic programs, the EA must be updated from time-to-time with addendum(s) as appropriate.
