National Energy Board begins Arctic offshore drilling review roundtable meeting

News - September 12, 2011

The National Energy Board (NEB) in Canada is hosting a roundtable meeting in Inuvik, Northwest Territories for the Arctic Offshore Drilling Review.

The meeting is scheduled to run from Monday, 12 September through Friday, 16 September 2011 at the Midnight Sun Complex. The meetings will begin at 9.30 am and wrap up at 5.30 pm each day.

The roundtable is an opportunity for Arctic Review participants to examine and comment on all elements of the scope of the Arctic Review, to ask questions and to put forward their views.

Participants expected to attend the meeting include representatives from Northern communities, Environmental Non-Government organizations, scientists, other government departments and industry.

The event will be broadcast live over the NEB's Internet site. The roundtable will be interpreted into Inuinnaqtun, G’wichin, Inuvialuktun, Inuktitut and French, and you can listen over the telephone by dialing 1-888-999-9261. Listeners may also submit questions or make comments to NEB staff by telephone at 1-866-399-0599.

Visit www.neb-one.gc.ca and click on "Hearings and Information Sessions" for more information.

The NEB, the federal body responsible for regulating offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic, announced on 11 May, 2010 that it would be reviewing Arctic safety and environmental offshore drilling requirements following the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Through the Arctic Offshore Drilling Review the NEB is examining the best available information on the hazards, risks and safety measures associated with offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic.

Following the conclusion of the Inuvik roundtable meeting, the Board will consider the information gathered and report publicly in December 2011. This report will include information that the Board will require in any future applications for offshore drilling in the Canadian Arctic.

Currently, there is no offshore drilling in Canada's Arctic and no applications for drilling are before the NEB.

The NEB is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada's energy industry. Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest.