Ottawa’s offshore drilling moratorium needs to end, says columnist.
Enough is enough.
The federal government’s moratorium preventing drilling in the Queen Charlotte Basin, Winona Basin, Tofino Basin and the Georgia Basin has been in place for more than 32 years.
It is estimated that there are oil reserves valued at $50 billion and natural gas reserves valued at $60 billion in this region.
Federal and provincial leaders have spoken in favour of lifting the moratorium. Federal Natural Resources Minister John Efford was recently quoted as saying that he could not see any major obstacles to drilling off the British Columbia coast because the rig activity in Atlantic Canada has enriched Newfoundland and Nova Scotia without hurting the environment. Efford added that it had been proven in Newfoundland that it could work without harming the fish stocks or the marine environment.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell has said that he is receiving many positive comments from Efford’s colleagues, including Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Studies? Yes, we have more than three decades of studies. The Royal Society science panel undertook the most recent one – paid for by taxpayers. The society was explicitly asked, are there any science gaps that need to be addressed before the moratorium could be lifted? It concluded there were no such science gaps.
So what is the problem? Our own Liberal member of Parliament, Environment Minister David Anderson.
I believe Anderson is the sole impediment preventing this significant project from getting underway. He claims that there are still knowledge gaps and risks involved. With all respect, Anderson has had 32 years to identify and explore these gaps. He has had time to study the numerous reports paid for by taxpayers. If the volume of these materials still falls short of a satisfactory explanation, he could commission more studies. Business managers understand that it is not realistic to expect perfect knowledge before making a decision. Leaders are required to take measured risks.
During the Gulf War, I was struck by U.S. General Colin Powell’s reply when asked how much information was needed to make a decision. Powell replied he made his decisions based on 60 percent of the facts presented. Clearly, battlefield conditions are different from Anderson sitting in Victoria, but I contend the amount of information available now approaches 100 percent. It is time to fish or cut bait.
I am not alone. B.C. Energy Minister Richard Neufeld and his provincial Liberal colleagues are getting increasingly distressed with Anderson’s seemingly intransigent stance.
The province contends that offshore projects are needed for three reasons. First, British Columbia needs to showcase itself to the world during the 2010 Olympics. Unfortunately, reports indicate that there is insufficient lead-time left for the offshore fields to be operational by then. Secondly, the coastal communities need the economic opportunities and financial support that offshore oil and gas development would provide. Finally, the provincial government desperately needs access to the royalty revenues in order to retire the province’s significant debt and to prevent further annual deficits.
The most troubling concern I have with Anderson’s obstructionism is one of national security. This is the paramount consideration and it is not yet on the radar of the current political leaders who are charged with the mandate to speak for us.
The Middle East grows increasingly unstable. Terrorist activities have spread to Saudi Arabia with deliberate attacks on the oil infrastructure. The supply-demand numbers reveal that there is little margin left for current world suppliers to increase oil supply. Russia, Nigeria and Mexico (Nos. 2, 7 and 9 in the list of top oil producers) are years away from being able to assist the impending contraction in global oil supplies. This is compounded by the increasing consumption of oil at an unsustainable rate by China and other Asian nations.
A second national security concern is one with which Anderson should be familiar. Scientists contend the polar icecap is melting. The evidence is irrefutable. Comparative pictures of the polar cap taken in 1973 and then again in 2002 were recently published in Fortune magazine. The cap’s freshwater is affecting the existing ocean currents in the North Atlantic and causing significant changes in weather patterns. If this trend continues, Canadians will need these offshore energy resources.
I put forward this position on the grounds of national security. Anderson must not be allowed to prevent this secure oil and gas supply from coming on stream.
Yes, regulate it, monitor it, maintain the environmental watch – but bring it ashore.
So my question is, who speaks for us?
The evidence indicates that it is not the senior Liberal minister responsible for British Columbia. Anderson has demonstrated that he has his own agenda and will not be dissuaded by 32 years of studies, nor does he recognize the needs of the people he represents.
It is in the best interest of Canada, and British Columbia in particular, that we find a voice who will speak for us.
Note: This article was originally published in 2005.
